


A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

by Swolosheep



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Barebacking, Cock Warming, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Medieval Fantasy but there is no tag for that, Prince Byun Baekhyun, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:48:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23038861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swolosheep/pseuds/Swolosheep
Summary: Their species have been at war for almost two decades. Yet when Chanyeol stumbles upon Baekhyun, a Prince from the Kingdom he swore to fight, he finds that they have a common goal. Together they embark on a journey to bring peace to their Kingdoms, during which they manage overcome their differences and form a special bond.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 26
Kudos: 134





	1. Chanyeol I

**Author's Note:**

> Listen when I tell you that I am SICK and TIRED of Medieval Fantasy written by straight men pretending that gay people don’t exist and using women to further some guy’s story line. Just because you’re writing Medieval Fantasy doesn’t mean it has to be based on Medieval Europa where everyone was miserable and dying. So I’ve giving my own spin on it which I hope you enjoy!  
> The title comes from a famous Chinese proverb that stems from chapter 64 of the Dao De Jing ascribed to Laozi. 
> 
> Massive thanks to my beta [Spookje](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spookje) who helped elevate this story to the next level. Love you, bitch

A piercing scream is what wakes Chanyeol from his slumber. More shouting follows and he sits up right, the hairs at the back of his neck standing up. The smell of smoke invades his nostrils, something terrible must be going on. His first instinct is to find his mother. Barefooted, he pads over to her room, finding her awake as well. 

“Mom, what’s going on?” He asks as the shouting outside grows louder. He can’t really make any words out of it, because of all the different voices mixing together. 

“I don’t know, honey, but we need to leave.” She grabs his hand and together they run out of their home. The night sky is obscured by smoke, seemingly coming from all directions. The houses of their neighbours are unrecognisable with the flames engulfing them whole. People are scattered all around them, begging for help covered in blood or not moving at all. 

“Don’t look at that, keep your eyes ahead of you, Chanyeol,” His mother insists. The smoke obscures his vision, but his mother frantically barges through the wave of people for a way out of the chaos. Those they come across pay them no heed, every familiar face is trying to get away. Chanyeol still doesn’t know what is going on, why would someone set their houses on fire and kill all those people? That is until a pair of unfamiliar looking men emerge from the smoke with bloodied axes in hand. They are unlike anyone Chanyeol has ever seen in his life and they speak amongst each other in a tongue unfamiliar to him. They appear to be adults but their height puts them almost at eye level with Chanyeol. There isn’t much time to observe the men as his mother’s grip tightens and she pulls him in the opposite direction.

Despite what his mother said, Chanyeol peeks over his shoulder. The two men have started to chase them, yelling to them in a taunting matter. They cross paths with other people that look similar to the scary men, who egg the two on but don’t join them in their hunt. 

The smoke prickles Chanyeol’s eyes and his bare feet are starting to hurt. He must have cut them somewhere along the way, but he’s trying his best to be brave and keep up with his mother. What do these strange looking people want with them? They’re almost at the edge of the forest, terrain his mother is quite familiar with, where they could easily lose the men behind them. 

With their footsteps getting closer and closer, Chanyeol looks behind him to see that the distance between them is alarmingly short. That’s when he stumbles over a stray root, falling and taking his mother down with him. The thick mud covering the ground somewhat cushions his fall, yet his body sears with pain as he attempts to stand up.

“Mom, are you okay? You need to get up!” His mother doesn’t move. “Mom!” He tries again, no response. 

“Mom,” one of the men says mockingly as they caught up with them, his voice thick with an accent. He hauls his mother from the ground and shakes her whole body roughly, causing her to open her eyes. The other man picks Chanyeol up like he weighs nothing and harshly grabs his face. Now that he can take a proper look at the man’s features, it clicks as to why he looked so strange. He’s a Maerg, or a ‘Mountain rat’ as his father used to ‘lovingly’ call them. Though he has never encountered one in his life, he knows what they look like from tales told to him by his father. 

“Look boy, we’re going to have some fun with your mom and you get to watch,” he spits as his mother is pushed to the ground. She protests weakly. The evil man starts ripping off her nightgown. Chanyeol doesn’t understand what they’re going to do to her, but he knows it’s nothing good. 

“Don’t touch her, let her go!” He squirms in an effort to break free, but the Maerg has an iron grip on him. All he can do is cry whilst he watches, helplessly. Despite the fall and the rough manhandling, his mother still has some fight left in her. Yelling for help as she tries to kick her attacker whilst holding on to what’s left of her nightgown.   
Their saviour comes in the form of another Maerg, yanking the man away as she shouts. An argument arises, their language lost on Chanyeol. The angry Maerg swings her axe towards the Maerg close to his mother, the sharp blade landing in the flesh of his shoulder. She ignores the screaming and kicks the injured man down. Chanyeol might not understand their language, but it’s clear that this Maerg and the one with the axe are not friends. Maybe she has come to help them. 

The grip the Maerg has on Chanyeol wavers, but not enough for him to escape. The angry Maerg points her axe in the direction of the man behind him, motion towards the other Maerg bleeding out on the ground. It’s a warning not accepted, the man starts to yell at the top of his lungs. The yelling is cut short when the angry Maerg pulls him off Chanyeol and her axe bores through the skin of his belly. Chanyeol averts his eyes. 

Other Maergs start pouring in and the Maerg with the axe turns to him. 

“Look, boy, you need to run. Your mother will be right behind you,” She assures Chanyeol, her voice laced with an accent similar to the other Maergs. His mother is still on the ground, struggling to get up. She nods weakly. 

“Go, Chanyeol, I’ll follow you.” 

And Chanyeol runs as fast as his ten-year-old legs can carry him. He runs until he stumbles upon the next village. His mother never came. 

♦

Many centuries ago Rolfesi and Maergs used to be one and the same. They all lived in a giant forest under one ruler. That was until their King passed away, entrusting his two children to rule the kingdom together. It wasn’t long until a fight between the two broke out, causing a drift between supporters of the two. Eventually, the eldest decided to move away, since the fighting caused much harm to their people. Naturally, her supporters weren’t far behind, following her into the mountains and settling there. The remainder of the people stayed in the forest. The different groups of people were eventually named after their respective rulers. Maerg was the ruler that moved to inhabit the mountains, Rolfes was the ruler that stayed behind. 

With the passing of the years the two groups had little contact. In the time they spent apart, the Rolfes grew tall like the trees of the land they inhabited. The Maergs stayed smaller, due to their confined living space in the mountains. The two had very little in common remaining, but after centuries of limited interaction, two rulers were able to conjure up a trade treaty. The Rolfesi provided food only able to grow on the fertile grounds of the forest and the river lands, whereas the Maergs brought in steel, coal and other metals which were found inside the mountains. This peace lasted about three decades, before it all turned to ash once again. 

Due to the successful trade deal, there was a population boom amongst the Maergs. So much so, that the mountains could no longer contain the number of their people. Vennhir, the new King in the mountains begged the Rolfesi Queen for a piece of land to house his people. The latter agreed, giving up a part of her land. After a while, Vennhir decided it was not enough and asked for yet another piece of land. This kept going until the Rolfesi Queen had no more land to give without sacrificing the living space of her own people. Vennhir had gotten greedy and started taking land by force, invading the other Kingdom, ending the peace and starting the war currently still raging on. 

♦

The attack on Chanyeol’s village seventeen years ago, was easily won by the Maergs. They had the element of surprise and weren’t at a terrain disadvantage due to sparse forestation, seeing as his village was located close to the river lands. Now the fighting has moved deeper in the forest, where the Rolfesi are more familiar with the terrain. 

Chanyeol can’t find it within himself to harbour a deep hatred for all the Maergs, like many of his peers do. After all, it was a Maerg that saved him all those years ago. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t even be fighting them, but all people capable of fighting are send to the war. In the beginning he struggled immensely with killing anyone. In a war you can’t afford to feel compassion for the enemy, if he were to believe higher ranked soldiers. After so many years he has no problem slicing through Maergs as if they were fruit fresh off the trees. It is something that comes with fighting for as long as he has. When he simply sees the enemy as a target, rather than someone who has a life and family of their own, the difficulty of killing them becomes much less severe. 

He’s currently hiding behind a particularly wide tree, their group of soldiers scattered around. Recently, the number of sightings of a group of enemy scouts has increased. Today it’s their mission to take out those scouts. It’s more of a precaution than anything, slim chance that the scouts were able to catch a glimpse of their well-hidden camp. 

They’ve been fighting around the same area for months on end, neither of the Maergs nor the Rolfesi getting the upper hand. Due to this, there is an invisible line on what is Maerg- territory and what is Rolfes-territory. In order to take out the scouts, Chanyeol and the other soldiers in his team might need to cross that line. It won’t be the first time he’s done this, but it still makes him uneasy. 

The trees are in full blossom this time a year. The one he’s hiding behind is called ‘Nightlight’, because once it gets dark, its leaves start to glow. A branch snaps close to him, bringing his focus back to the task at hand. The sound draws nearer, and before he knows it the presumed scouts are close enough for him to make out their footsteps. Chanyeol brings his hands to his mouth and produces a sound similar to what birds native to the forest make to attract mates. Unbeknownst to the scouts, it’s the sound that seals their doom. The entire team jumps out of their hiding places and closes in on the scouts. 

There is no doubt that the people are Maergs, shouting in that harsh, guttural language of theirs and unsheathing their swords. They are outnumbered and surrounded, Chanyeol sees it in their eyes that they’ve accepted their fate. Upon him taking a step closer, the Maerg nearest to him swings his sword towards him. Soon everyone is fighting, the sound of clashing steel accompanied by screaming is nearly deafening. Chanyeol has the obvious height and weight advantage to the much smaller Maerg in front of him. In terms of strength he’s superior as well, the Maerg staggers when their swords meet, giving Chanyeol the opportunity to sink his sword in the flesh of his opponent’s belly. 

No one stays behind to bury the bodies, no one ever does. Except for Chanyeol, who buries his shovel deep into the soft ground in order to dig a grave that’s deep enough. Once he’s done, he picks up a Nightlight leaf for every Maerg in the grave. Even after they’ve fallen off the tree, they still glow beautifully. 

Nightlight leaves illuminate the path home, so much so that Chanyeol rarely takes a lantern with him anymore. His shoulders are sore from digging, making the climb up to the quarters in the trees rather painful. For a moment he considers sleeping on the ground, but since the scouts have no issue stepping on their territory, that might not be a good idea. 

The hole that’s been cut out of the platform is barely big enough for him to enter through. There is not much space to work with anyway, so high up in the trees, so Chanyeol understands the decision. The wooden platform surrounding the tree trunk is strong and wide enough to hold several small huts, each housing two soldiers. He’s about to enter his hut when he hears a rustling of leaves followed by a thud. A sound familiar to those living in trees, Chanyeol is quick to climb down and help whoever has fallen. 

It’s dark, the light from the moon is the only thing illuminating the forest, seeing as there are barely any Nightlight trees around their camp. Even then, Chanyeol can make out that the person that just fell down is definitely a Maerg. Maergs are small of stature, with big feet and hands in comparison to the rest of their body, but still nowhere near as big as those of a Rolfes. Due to the lack of sun in the mountains, their skin is pale and they have either dark brown or dark green eyes. The big, round ears sticking out from under his dark hair are another dead giveaway. He raises his sword up to the man’s throat. He expects the other to start praying to whatever Gods the Maergs worship, but it’s not prayers that pass the man’s lips. 

“Please don’t kill me,” he pleads in an accented voice. Chanyeol hesitates, which gives the Maerg the opportunity to dash away. How the man that just fell down from a tree is able to run so fast is something he cannot comprehend. He mustn’t let the Maerg get away, or their camp will be at risk. 

Chanyeol chases him down, the Maerg’s speed slowing as he starts wheezing more loudly. It must be from the blow he took when he fell. On a good day, he might have never caught up with him. They’re back at a patch of forest where the Nightlights are most prominent, and its where Chanyeol tackles the man. They get in a bit of a scuffle, the other man pushes his hand against Chanyeol’s face. Much like most other Maergs, Chanyeol has the upper hand when it comes to strength and weight and he’s able to overpower the Maerg. 

Even after he just made an attempt to get away, the Maerg pleads for his life once again. This time Chanyeol is compelled to ask: “How do you even know our tongue?” Whilst he binds his hands and feet together with the laces from his shoe. 

“Why should I tell you when you’re going to kill me anyway.” He spits and says something else in his own foul tongue, which sounds harsh and throaty. Chanyeol always hated the way the Maergs speak, it’s off-putting in comparison to the smoothness of his own native tongue. He should just kill the Maerg in front of him and get it over with, but the fact that he speaks his language intrigues him. 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you? You’ve discovered our base and therefore form a danger to my people.” 

“I promise I will not say anything.” 

Chanyeol is in such disbelief that he actually laughs at the comment. He composes himself again swiftly, not wanting the other to think that he actually found that funny. “Give me an actual good reason.” 

“I can be a political prisoner. Please, I did not choose to fight, I was forced into this. I beg you not to kill me.” The Maerg’s desperation is quite evident. Chanyeol decides to humour him. 

“Why would I take you prisoner? Are you important or something?” 

“Yes! I am the King’s nephew, that has got to have some leverage, right?” 

Whether he is speaking the truth or not, it can pose an opportunity. Chanyeol hauls the Maerg off the ground and orders him to walk in front of him. The Maerg does as he’s told and sets a brisk pace as they walk back to the Rolfes camp. 

Chanyeol has the hut to himself temporarily, because the person he shared it with was killed in the battlefield no too long ago. It makes bringing in a tied up Maerg a lot easier now that he doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone. If word got out that he hid a Maerg, the soldiers in the base camp would probably kill him, seeing as he’s the enemy, prince or not. He lights the candles scattered around his small hut and binds the Maerg to a chair with actual rope instead of laces. 

“I’m going to sleep, go ahead and rest as well. Tomorrow at sunrise we are going to travel to the council and they’ll decide what to do with you. If you’re lying and not actually the King’s nephew they’ll certainly kill you, Maerg. Or should I call you ‘Your Royal Highness?’” 

“You can call me Baekhyun,” the Maerg interjects. “And you are…?” 

“Going to sleep,” Chanyeol says and shuts the door to his bedroom. 

♦

The following morning Chanyeol finds Baekhyun asleep on the chair in what looks to be a uncomfortable position. With the additional light that the sun provides, he can better make out the Maerg’s more distinct features. He’s wearing a garb not much different than what the other scouts wore, a dark green shirt and muddy coloured breeches. Around his ankles and knees is extra padding, but otherwise his clothes offer little protection. With his eyes closed, Chanyeol still can’t see their exact colour, but what he does notice is that his eyes and mouth droop slightly downward, giving him an unique look that fits his face nicely. Chanyeol would even go as far as call him comely… For a Maerg, at least.

He shakes the Maerg awake, at which the other lets out a muffled groan. Chanyeol is convinced he wasn’t that forceful, but when the other scrunches up his face, Chanyeol recalls him falling from the tree. 

“You took quite a fall yesterday, it must hurt.” 

Baekhyun scoffs. “You can say that, I feel like my insides have been trampled over by a thousand men.” 

Chanyeol fetches some ointment from his bedroom. It was unwise of him to neglect checking up on possible wounds. Any wound that gets infected might be the death of Baekhyun, and if he is what he claims his title to be, it’d be a lost source. Chanyeol hands the other man a wooden stick. “to bite down upon in case the pain gets too bad,” he explains. 

“What is that?” The Maerg eyes the bottle of ointment in Chanyeol’s hand warily. 

“It soothes the pain and speeds up the healing process” Chanyeol explains.

“All right,” Baekhyun responds and takes the previously offered stick between his teeth. The other is rather quick to accept, but he doesn’t have much of a choice being bound to a chair anyway. Besides, if Chanyeol wanted to kill him he could have done so already whilst he was deep in slumber. 

When he lifts Baekhyun’s shirt he eyes the array of bruises in various shades of blue and purple. Fortunately there are no open wounds that need treatment. He’s careful with his touch as he spreads the ointment on Baekhyun’s skin, which is rather soft. There is not much of a reaction from Baekhyun, aside from the gooseprickles spreading across his skin. 

Once done, Chanyeol fetches them both a meal to strengthen up for their journey to the council. 

“I still do not know your name,” Baekhyun points out while trying to cut his fruit with only one hand untied. Initially he insisted Chanyeol untie his hands completely, but Chanyeol didn’t budge. 

“Chanyeol. Why does my name matter when there is a high chance that after today you might never see me again.” Once he has delivered Baekhyun to the council he will certainly be rewarded. Hopefully it will be worth the journey. Even if it isn’t, being away from the constant fighting for a few days is a reward in and of itself.

Baekhyun shrugs. “One day we might meet on the battlefield.” 

“We might. But I doubt that knowing my name will stop you from trying to kill me.” 

“It might. I know that you are similar to me, forced into fighting. I saw you bury those deceased scouts.” It feels like Baekhyun’s dark, brown eyes are boring holes into his own. 

Chanyeol doesn’t know what to respond to that. He himself isn’t certain on the reason why he does it. Is it out of gratitude for the Maerg that saved him, or out of respect for their lives? The way Baekhyun is still staring at him makes him uneasy. With his knife he cuts out a strip of fabric out of an old undershirt. 

“I’m going to have to cover your eyes, safety precaution,” Chanyeol says as he moves forward to bind the piece of cloth over Baekhyun’s eyes. The other inches backwards in his chair. 

“Why? I already know where your base is,” he points out. 

“There is not a chance I’m showing you the route to the council,” Chanyeol counters and once again makes an attempt to bind the cloth around Baekhyun’s head. 

“There is no need, I won’t remember such a lengthy journey anyway!” Baekhyun yells.

“Stop yelling!” Chanyeol yells back. “Quit struggling, if the council notices you haven’t been blindfolded, they will kill you anyway, nephew of the King or not. For their safety and your own you have to wear the blindfold.” The Gods have decided not to further test Chanyeol’s patience today, because Baekhyun holds his head still. Chanyeol moves the cloth over Baekhyun’s eyes and fasts it behind his head, making sure it’s not overly tight. 

“Now I’m blindfolded, what will the council do with me?” 

“We will know in a day’s time.”


	2. Baekhyun I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-uploaded the first chapter because I can't read and there were still some typos.

The only thing filtering through the cloth covering his eyes is the daylight, but other than that he’s completely blind. It’s unclear to him how long they’ve been riding for, but what he does know is that he’s starting to feel sore. It has been a while since he’s been on a horse for this long, and even longer ago since he’s shared it with someone. In fear of Baekhyun attempting another escape -even though his hands are securely bound together- Chanyeol is pressed closely against his back. Any distance he tries to put between their two bodies is quickly dissolved by him sliding back on the saddle. After a while he gives up and starts dozing off as a way to pass the time. It’s rather comfortable against Chanyeol’s chest, the fabric of his tunic is soft. Combined with the body warmth of the man behind him, it lulls him right to sleep. 

The next time he opens his eyes, there is significantly less light shining through his blindfold. “How long until we’re there?” He asks.

“Quiet,” is the answer he gets. Earlier this morning Chanyeol wasn’t opposed to talking to him and Baekhyun is about to protest when he hears it: riders in the distance. 

“I’m going to check whether they’re bandits or other travellers, please stay on the horse,” Chanyeol whispers close to his ear. Baekhyun involuntary shivers and nods. Soon after he hears Chanyeol dismount the sound of his footsteps slowly starts to fade. Baekhyun feels completely powerless. If any other rides were to stumble upon a tied up Maerg they wouldn’t hesitate to end his life. He hopes that Chanyeol is back before that happens. 

The crunching of leaves close to him warns him of the fact someone is approaching. “It’s me,” is what Chanyeol says before he’s being lifted off the horse. 

“What’s going on?” 

“The riders are without a doubt bandits, but I can’t possibly fight the bunch of them whilst still protecting you. So we need to hide.” Chanyeol puts a hand on his back to presumably guide him to wherever he wants to hide, but Baekhyun remains on his spot.

“How many of them did you see?” 

“Seven.” 

“Give me your dagger and we’ll fight them off together. Who knows for how long the bandits are going to patrol this part of the woods.” He’ll do anything to get rid of the obstruction in front his eyes, even if it means fighting bandits. People who steal off travellers are some of the lowest scum in Baekhyun’s eyes. Killing them is not something he will lie awake about at night, bandits don’t contribute to anything positive. 

“You’re right, we don’t have the supplies to hide for days. Though I wish there was another way other than killing them,” Chanyeol admits and loosens the knot of the blindfold. The sudden brightness of the evening sun hurts Baekhyun’s eyes, he blinks rapidly in an attempt to get the sting out of his eyes. Reluctantly, Chanyeol hands him a dagger. He’s about to take it when Chanyeol quickly retracts his hand out of his reach.

“Don’t do anything funny with it. If you even think about using it to kill me my sword will be deep in your intestines before you finish that thought.” 

Baekhyun snatches the dagger out of the taller man’s hand and scoffs. “Don’t worry, fleeing from my only hope of survival in a forest I do not know would be foolish of me. You won’t get rid of me just yet.” 

“Right.”

Now that Chanyeol trusts him enough to hand him a dagger, he vows not to ruin it. He’d thought about it, killing Chanyeol and fleeing, but he doesn’t see that ending well. The forest is seemingly endless and, if he doesn’t die of dehydration, some Rolfes won’t hesitate to do the killing for him. 

The dagger feels heavy in his hand as he moves closely towards the bandits obscured behind the trees. The group has started a fire, obviously planning to stay for the night. Baekhyun is glad he was bold enough to oppose Chanyeol’s idea to hide. It isn’t long before he hears the signal he and Chanyeol agreed upon. The Rolfes explained that the sound is similar to a bird’s call. To the bandits it won’t sound as something out of the ordinary. 

Mere moments after giving off the signal, Chanyeol comes storming from behind the trees, thrusting his sword through the first bandit before he even had the chance to stand up. Baekhyun is soon to follow him, stabbing the bandit closest to him. He kicks the lifeless body down to the ground and moves on to the next bandit. There is little skill when it comes to the enemy’s fighting, he’s carelessly hacking away with his gigantic axe. Baekhyun uses this to his advantage by jumping out of reach just in time for the bandit approaching him from behind to catch the axe with his body. With his weapon stuck, Baekhyun easily kills the bandit. He looks over to Chanyeol to see if he needs any help, but it appears as though he has sliced his way through the remaining three bandits. 

When Chanyeol moves to blindfold him again after their short-lived fight, he at least has the decency to look somewhat apologetic. He helps Baekhyun onto the horse and they ride on as if nothing happened, the blood on their clothes the only reminiscence. 

The next time they stop Baekhyun can hear streaming water close by. Could it be that they’re already there? When Chanyeol takes off his blindfold they’re standing in front of a river, it appears as though they’re not. 

“We can’t appear in front of the council all bloody,” Chanyeol explains and takes off his tunic. Something stirs in Baekhyun’s lower region at the sight of the other man in only his breeches. His upper body looks as though it has been carved out of marble. His figure is long and lean, so unlike himself and other Maergs. A small part of Baekhyun wants to reach out and feel the muscles underneath his fingertips. He quickly pushes that feeling away by following Chanyeol’s example and starts washing his shirt in the river as well. 

They continue their journey with Baekhyun once again blindfolded and with his hands bound. The wet clothes cling to his skin, making him uncomfortable and cold. His shivering ends when he is suddenly wrapped into the softness of a blanket. He mumbles a soft “thank you” to Chanyeol, who gives him a curt “you’re welcome” in return. “Wouldn’t want you to die moments before we reach the council,” he adds. 

True to Chanyeol’s word, it isn’t long before they dismount again. It’s wrong of him to think that he’d rather ride with Chanyeol for a while longer instead of facing whatever is to come, yet he indulges himself in the thought while clutching the blanket. Chanyeol takes off his blindfold but leaves his hands bound. 

Baekhyun is in awe of the building Chanyeol is leading him towards. In the mountains they don’t have the space to build such a tall structure. The whole thing is made out of stone, material that the Rolfesi don’t have access to anymore because of the war. It shows through the cracks in the archway connected to the door and the building overall looks weathered. 

To Baekhyun, the wooden door is huge. He’s sure that if he’d have another Baekhyun standing upon his shoulders they still wouldn’t reach the top. In front of it are two massive looking guards. He thought Chanyeol was as big as they came, standing almost two heads taller than him, but the guards dwarf even him. As imitating as they appear, the look on their faces as they spot Baekhyun is hilarious. 

“He’s my prisoner,” Chanyeol points out as if it wasn’t obvious. “The council might be interested to hear who he is,” he adds, after which one of the guards hurries to open the door. 

The room on the inside is colossal as well, a huge oval table in the middle at which the council is seated. Built against the wall opposite the door is a stand filled with people. Baekhyun doesn’t understand why a council would need spectators, so maybe those people fulfil another purpose. At the sound of the door opening, all eyes are on them. There is a moment of complete silence before insults start to fly him around the ears, people look offended at his mere presence. Which is understandable given the current war raging on, but he still doesn’t enjoy it. Someone even throws something at him, luckily he’s able to duck on time. 

The mess continues until the Queen sitting at the head of the table orders silence. Her presence is commanding and everyone in the room listens. Queen Yhhra is seated on her elegant throne, woven out of branches in a wide array of colours. Much like Chanyeol, she’s tall and lean in stature, with pointy ears and weirdly coloured eyes. Only instead of Chanyeol’s deep purple, hers are bright pink, almost the same shade as her lips. Baekhyun never really took the time to observe the Rolfesi, but now that he’s standing in a room full of them, he notices things he’s never seen before. Though all of them have pointy ears, none really stuck out as much as Chanyeol’s. Baekhyun thought more Rolfesi would have floppy ears, but it appears as though it’s a feature unique to Chanyeol. All of them have either brown or green hair in various shades. Chanyeol’s brown locks are more on the darker side, a colour vastly similar to that of tree trunks. 

The Queen eyes him as he stands, still wrapped up in his blanket, before turning her gaze to Chanyeol behind him.

“How in the name of Napeii did you stumble upon His Royal Highness, Baekhyun, son of Beoghir?” The question is directed towards Chanyeol, who stumbles over his words whilst Baekhyun wonders who Napeii is. 

“I caught him spying on our camp closest to the border.” 

The Queen frowns as her eyes return to Baekhyun. “There is no way your uncle would let you scout so close to the border.” 

“He didn’t exactly let me, I went out on my own,” Baekhyun admits, not daring to look the Queen in the eyes as if he was being scolded. He hears her tut, but that seems to be the end of it.

“I take it you’ve taken good care of him? We’ve got a valuable hostage in our hands and it would be a shame if the Prince were harmed in any way.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

“And for that you will be rewarded royally. Now, the council and I will need to decide what to do, in the meantime, you two can make yourselves comfortable in the rooms in the upper tower. Guards, please escort them there.” Four guards step forward, three surround Baekhyun and one of them leads Chanyeol the way. 

After what seems like endless stairs, the guard leading Chanyeol opens the door to a room and leads him inside. Baekhyun is ushered inside the room next to him. It might be guest chambers from the looks of it, obviously not designed to hold prisoners. Along the wall are tapestries embodied with the emblem of Rolfesi Royalty. Against one of the well-decorated walls is a bed that could easily fit four people, the silk sheets soft underneath his fingers. Opposite the bed is a massive window offering a breath-taking view of the trees as far as the eyes can see. When he sticks out his head a little, some buildings appear in his line of sight, initially hidden behind the giant council building. Having seen enough of the scenery, he moves over to the wall adjacent to Chanyeol’s room. 

“Can you hear me?” There isn’t much else for him to do beside talk to Chanyeol, if the other man can even pick up what he’s saying.

“Unfortunately, I can,” comes the answer, the sound of Chanyeol’s voice slightly muffled by the stone walls. 

“What’s unfortunate about talking to me? I am a Prince, you should be honoured.” 

“I was trying to read.” 

“You have books in your room? Read me something. I am awfully bored,” Baekhyun whines. 

“It’s a retelling of the legend of Napeii, I don’t know if you’re interested. I mean, I assume you have different Gods.” 

“We do not have Gods. We rely of our King to guide us towards prosperity, no God has ever aided us in that aspect. The King is the one we worship, he is responsible for our people.” 

“You don’t have a God? But the King is merely a mortal man, he isn’t the one that created the mountains, the forest and everything around us.” 

“That is true, we don’t worship our creators, we worship our ruler.” Which isn’t always a good thing, Baekhyun’s uncle is a prime example. He sees himself as higher and more important than others and therefore rarely accepts advice, going off what he thinks is best. Sometimes that leads to good things, but other times it leads to him starting a war. 

“But please enlighten me about who Napeii is.” 

“She’s the Goddess of nature, she’s the one who created the forest and continues to make sure it flourishes. This is also why we bury our dead. We feed off her trees and animals, so it’s only fair that they feed off us in return.” 

Baekhyun involuntarily scrunches up his nose, the idea of whatever lives in the ground slowly tearing away at a rotting corpse makes him nauseous. 

“We burn our dead,” he responds. 

“Why? Do the ashes serve as an offering to your King?” 

“No, it’s the most efficient way to get rid of the bodies.” 

The back and forth goes on a little longer, Baekhyun’s back is starting to feel cold from leaning against the stone surface of the wall for so long. Rolfesi ways are strange yet interesting, from their numerous Gods to their marriage traditions. 

“So when you get married you carve your initials in a tree? Doesn’t that make Napeii angry?” 

“No, because it doesn’t harm the tree and it makes the union known to the Gods. Nature is the way we communicate with them.” 

“If I carve ‘Kill Chanyeol’ in a tree will they kill you for me?” 

“That is not how it works, only marriage is a valid reason to carve up a tree,” he says and there is a beat of silence before he asks, “What do Maergs do when they get married?” 

“We forge rings for each other and present them on the chosen ceremony day. After partners exchange the rings the bound is official.” Most people get married around their early twenties. Baekhyun’s brother is barely two years older than him and already has two children. Meanwhile, he is seven-and-twenty and still hasn’t found a partner. 

Chanyeol says something which Baekhyun cannot hear, it probably wasn’t directed at him anyway. The door to Baekhyun’s room opens and in walk the three guards from earlier. He gets up from his position close to the wall and expects them to bind his hands once again. When that doesn’t happen he is relieved, but also wary of what’s to come as they lead him back to the council room.

The room is now cleared of everyone except the Queen and one other man. The guards leave and close the doors behind them. 

“Come hither,” the Queen urges the both of them.

Baekhyun obliges but Chanyeol is more hesitant. “Your Majesty, forgive me for asking, but why do I need to be here?” 

The Queen smiles at him. “All will be explained, now, please take a seat.” 

The pair follows suit. The man sitting next to her is eying Baekhyun intently. He has the usual Rolfes features, only his face is littered with scars, the most prominent one going directly through his left eyebrow. 

“The council and I have come to a decision. Chanyeol, you and Prince Baekhyun will travel to the mountains with our terms for renewed peace between the Maergs and the Rolfesi. No other guards or soldiers will travel along to show King Vennhir that we come in good faith.” 

“Why me?” Chanyeol blurts out, but quickly adds, “Your Majesty.” 

“You’ve proven yourself to be an exceptional fighter. Quick, agile, strong and tactical. In case anything goes wrong you’re skilled enough to defend Prince Baekhyun. You’ll be traveling off-road, so the chance you even encounter anyone is slim.” Chanyeol nods curtly, a taut expression on his face. 

“Chanyeol, if you succeed in safely delivering Prince Baekhyun to his King, even if the peace treaty fails, you will get any land you want. You may even marry my youngest son if that is what you desire.” 

“Your Majesty, I don’t know what to say.” 

“That’s all right, we will discuss this further once you’ve returned. Now, to ensure that Chanyeol isn’t killed as soon King Vennhir lays eyes on him, you two will form a temporary blood pact.” 

Baekhyun knew that the Rolfesi dabbled in magic, but he’s never heard of something like a blood pact. By the way all the colour seems to have disappeared from Chanyeol’s face, it probably isn’t a good thing. 

The mysterious man shoves two cups filled with an unknown liquid in both their directions. Chanyeol eyes it warily, his long fingers shaking as he closes them around the cup. Baekhyun doesn’t know why he should be afraid, so he isn’t. He brings the cup up to his nose, but the liquid doesn’t have any particular smell. 

“Drink,” says the Queen, and so Baekhyun does. As much as he would like to object or know exactly what he is getting into, he would much rather get back home as soon as possible. Baekhyun is aware that if he starts making a fuss it will only take longer and he doesn’t want to insult Queen Yhhra. He downs it all in one gulp, Chanyeol is quick to follow. The taste of the liquid lingers in the back of his throat long after. It isn’t a very pleasant one. Other than that, Baekhyun does not feel any different than before. 

“To complete the pact, your blood must flow in each other’s veins.” The mysterious man hands Baekhyun a knife, motioning him to cut his hand. Baekhyun puts the knife against the palm of his hands and presses down. Blood starts to gush out of the newly formed cut, dripping over the floor. Next to him, Chanyeol winces as he does the same. He holds his palm open, so Baekhyun wraps his hand around Chanyeol’s. All while the Queen and the other man watch intently. Baekhyun is about to let go when the potion man presses their palms together once more.

“You need to hold them together for a little longer, otherwise it won’t work,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Once the man deems it to be long enough, he lets go and busies himself with washing Baekhyun’s hand and binding it after. “The blood pact will last longer than the journey takes, so it’s still intact once you’ve reached King Vennhir,” The Queen says. “Make sure to mention that to him.” 

The Queen thanks the potion man after he finished binding Chanyeol’s hand. He bows deeply before taking his leave. She presses a piece of parchment into the hand Baekhyun didn’t cut. 

“These are the peace terms my council and I have agreed on, make sure not to crack the seal and hand it to King Vennhir.” 

“What if he does not agree to these terms?” 

“The fighting will go on until one of us has completely destroyed the other.” 

Queen Yhhra had made sure that horses and supplies to last them their journey had been packed and ready. A guard leads them towards the two horses, one noticeably smaller than the other. Baekhyun doesn’t need to guess which one is his. With his non-injured hand he holds the reins, as they start to follow the route the Queen and her council outlined for them. He takes one last look at the tall council building, now almost completely swallowed by darkness, before speeding up to ride next to Chanyeol. 

“The blood pact we just formed, what does it do?” 

Chanyeol looks glum, his eyes shifting over to his injured hand. “I don’t know how it works exactly, but the liquid we drank forms some kind of connection between you and the person you share your blood with.” 

“In what way?” 

“When one person dies, so does the other.”


	3. Chanyeol II

The journey ahead of them is long, longer than Chanyeol has ever travelled. He still doesn’t understand why he has been chosen to escort Baekhyun. Yes, he is a good fighter, but there are plenty of other good fighters in the Kingdom. The Queen has been known to make strange, bordering on irrational decisions, to Chanyeol this is definitely one of them. His injured hand throbs, reminding him of the blood pact he made with Baekhyun. When he first stumbled upon the Maerg he didn’t expect any of this to happen. He thought he’d be on his way back to their camp close to the border by now. Yet here he is, riding alongside him towards enemy territory. 

It’s a cloudy night, the moon peeking behind from the clouds only so often. To him, the terrain is only vaguely familiar, so the chance of them getting lost is considerable. For that reason he tugs on the reins, making his horse come to a halt.

“We should camp here for the night, with this little light I see us getting lost easily.” 

“Fine with me, I’m tired anyway.” 

Both of them get off their horses, soft thuds can be heard as they land on the ground covered with fallen leaves. Chanyeol looks through the stuff the Queen’s servants packed them.

“Can you help me set up my tent?” Baekhyun asks. 

“I think we only have one. So it’s not your tent, it’s ours,” Chanyeol admits reluctantly after searching through his own stuff and failing to find a tent. “Unless you prefer sleeping outside? Otherwise I have no quarrel sharing.” He does actually, but he would rather share it with ‘His Royal Highness, Prince of Maergs, son of whoever, Baekhyun’ than get soaked by rain. As a soldier he is used to sharing a sleeping space, but sleeping in the same tent as a Maerg makes him uneasy. Baekhyun might not be able to kill him due to their blood pact, but there are thousands ways of inflicting harm without actually ending his life. With that in the back of his mind he makes sure to keep his dagger on his person at all times. 

“Me neither.” 

With that settled the pair sets up the tent as best as they can with limited light. Well, it’s mostly Chanyeol doing the work since he’s used to setting up tents as a soldier. In hindsight, finding Baekhyun may have been one of the best things that happened to him. Now, instead of fighting, killing, burying enemies and friends alike deep underground, he’s escorting Baekhyun through the safest parts of the woods. The blood pact is the only downside he can think of, fortunately it is only temporary. 

Baekhyun is pouting and Chanyeol has no idea why. He has a cute mouth, that is for certain. Shocked at his own thought, he almost impales himself with a wooden tent pole. He quickly puts the pole where it belongs, the ground, not inside his hand. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks as Baekhyun doesn’t stop pouting and it’s severely distracting him. 

“I hurt my hand, but I do not think the wound has reopened. It does hurt, though.” Baekhyun outstretches his hand. Upon inspecting the bandages it doesn’t appear as though the dark spot is growing any bigger, meaning that Baekhyun must have been right. 

“Let’s sleep, I’m sure the pain will subside by tomorrow.” 

Moments after lying down Chanyeol can hear Baekhyun make odd noises beside him. They remind him of what the puppy he found once as a child sounded like. He tries his best to stay awake despite knowing that Baekhyun is in deep slumber besides him, wary of what could happen once he gives in to his tiredness. The noises Baekhyun makes keep reminding him of the puppy, which sadly died not long after he found it. It still saddens him that he wasn’t able to save the adorable creature. Like that, his thoughts drift on and on, until he eventually does fall asleep. 

He wakes up disoriented, his mind groggy and his eyes droopy from sleep. Against him he can feel the warmth of another human body. Baekhyun crawled much closer over the course of the night and is looking up at him. His nimble fingers are fisted in the material of Chanyeol’s shirt and he pulls him closer. Chanyeol can’t seem to look away nor stop himself from slowly sitting up. 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun simply says before he closes the remaining space between their lips. His lips are soft as they nibble on his own. Desperation takes over and he grabs the smaller man by the back of his neck to adjust the angle, slipping his tongue into his mouth. He didn’t know he wanted this but now he does he wonders why he hadn’t kissed Baekhyun earlier. It’s warm and wet, their tongues intertwining in a sinful dance. 

Baekhyun moves over to sit on his lap, the weight settling on his crotch. As Baekhyun’s fingers explore his upper body his cock stirs in his breeches. Their kisses never stop, because they never seem to run out of air. 

“Chanyeol.” There is again, Baekhyun calling his name. But how is that possible when their lips are attached?

“Chanyeol!” 

He shoots up, the dream being ripped away from him as Baekhyun, who is not sitting on his lap kissing the life out of him, shakes him awake. He groans as he realises what he just dreamed and can’t seem to be able to look Baekhyun in the eye. 

“There is a lake at walking distance from here, I’m going to wash up.” He hopes he didn’t make any embarrassing noises that could allude Baekhyun as to what he was dreaming about. Now he just needs to wash away the evidence. 

“I’ll come with you.” And with that Baekhyun shatters his hope of coming out of this unscathed. 

They walk over to the lake, leaving the horses bound to a tree near their tent. Chanyeol makes sure to walk in front of Baekhyun, not really giving the other an opportunity to catch up. Once the lake comes into view he quickly rids himself of his clothes, leaving him bare but for his undergarments. 

With two finger he squeezes his nose tight and immerses himself in the cold water completely. By the time he comes back up, Baekhyun is also waist deep in the lake, absentmindedly washing himself. He is beautifully built, with wide shoulders, a firm chest, a flat tummy and wider hips you do not often see with men. Yet it suits him, Chanyeol can’t help but let his mind drift back to his dream. Dreams are so strange, he doesn’t long to find the reason behind the one he had last night. He hates the fact that it makes him view Baekhyun in a different light. Chanyeol hopes the lingering feeling dissolves soon. 

They both dry off, walking back to their horses in just their undergarments. Chanyeol is quick to find something to wear, rummaging through his stuff. Once he’s finished fastening his tunic he notices Baekhyun is practically wearing the same as him, only more tailored to his size. The belt around his middle accentuates the dip in his waist, something Chanyeol doesn’t really have, he’s all hard lines and sharp edges. The dark green colour of the tunic complements his eyes, it might be that the Maerg fits traditional Rolfes clothing better than him. 

“I wonder, how many before you are in line of the throne?” Chanyeol asks once they’re on their horses again. With a long ride ahead of them, talking is a good way to pass the time. 

“My uncle had three daughters, between them they have four children. In the highly unlikely case all of them pass away, my father, my older brother and his two children come first. So the chance of me ever ruling is practically non-existent. ” 

“Would you want to be king?” 

“Ruling isn’t for me. What about you? If you take up Queen Yhhra’s offer to marry her youngest son, you’ll be closer to the throne than I ever will.” 

Chanyeol hadn’t really thought of it that way. Queen Yhhra oldest daughter had yet to birth any children. Rumours are starting to float around that she’s barren. The Queen’s other son has been sickly for years, the only ones allowed near him are healers, therefore he hasn’t gotten married, meaning that the chance of him ruling beside Prince Kalii are significant. Is that what he desires? 

“I don’t know, it is something I haven’t really given any thought. I’d never even dare to dream about.” 

“I’ve seen Prince Kalii before when the both of us were children. As a child he was very cute, but I cannot say anything about how he looks now.” 

“You met the Prince when he was young? How?” 

“When the peace treaty was still in place, the Queen and her court would visit us in the mountains from time to time and the other way around. I remember Prince Kalii being so tall, though he is not that much older than me. He was such a soft boy with a big heart, crying when he thought something was unfair. Unfortunately the peace did not last long enough for me to see what kind of man he’s become.” A soft smile plays on Baekhyun’s lips as he recounters the story. 

“Did you love him as a child?” 

Baekhyun’s smile gets even wider. “I was convinced I would marry him, but those were the foolish ideas of a child.” 

“If he were here in front of us right now confessing his undying love for you, would you reject?” 

“Like I said, ruling isn’t for me. If he’d want to keep me just for decoration it would be fine, but otherwise, no.” 

“Keep you just for decoration? That doesn’t sound like much fun.” 

Baekhyun shrugs it off. “Being an important royal, ‘fun’ isn’t much of an option. You marry who you’re supposed to marry and deal with however they treat you.” 

Chanyeol doesn’t know how to respond to that. In the end he says nothing, the soft patter of the rain interrupting the silence between them. He puts on his cape and pulls the hood over his head. 

Despite the drift between their people, Chanyeol finds himself curious about Baekhyun, who is shrouded in mystery. Maybe it’s reckless of him asking whatever question pops into his head, but seeing as they are bound by blood, what harm can it do? It isn’t as if they’ll see each other again once their journey to the mountains is over. 

“Why were you scouting so close to the border the night I found you? Isn’t royalty supposed to be protected?” 

Baekhyun chuckles. “Nothing goes past you, huh? Well, I will explain if you are dying to know.” 

“I’m definitely dying, so tell me before we’re both dead,” Chanyeol says, a playful note in his voice. 

“Right, you dying means I do as well. I that case I will tell you, as it so happened I would like to stay alive. Seeing there are one-and-ten people in line of the throne before me, my uncle thought it’d be good for morality for the soldiers when they see royalty fight amongst them. Only my uncle didn’t put me even close to the battlefield, I was there more for show than anything. I think that in time I had been sent to ‘fight’, I hadn’t even touched my sword once, even though I’ve had sufficient training. I felt utterly useless, so I decided to take matters into my own hand, sneak out and climb the trees to scout close to your camp.” 

“One-and-ten?” Chanyeol bursts out in laughter.

“Excuse me?” 

“It’s ‘eleven’, not ‘one-and-ten’, who taught you that?” 

Baekhyun looks baffled by Chanyeol’s outburst. “Is that all you heard out of my entire story?” 

“It sounds so silly!” Chanyeol replies between fits of laughter. He grabs the reins of his horse tightly in an effort not to fall off. Which has certainly happened before. 

“Glad I could be of amusement to you,” Baekhyun says, an ever so small smile forming on his cute mouth. Every time he looks at Baekhyun’s lips, he’s reminded of his sinful dream, so he quickly looks away. 

“Aside from that little hiccup, I must say you speak our tongue very well.” 

“Thank you. My father taught me and kept on teaching me even after the peace treaty was broken. He assumed that it wouldn’t be long before the peace was restored. Besides, our tongue is hard to master for Rolfesi, but not so much the other way around.” 

“Maybe if your King agrees with the terms from Queen Yhhra it hasn’t been for nothing.” 

“I surely hope so.” 

Nightfall is upon them and Chanyeol is reluctant to go to sleep, last night’s dream still plaguing his thoughts. Looking at the map, there is no lake, river or any other body of water to wash off his shame as he did last time. Baekhyun is fast asleep whilst Chanyeol pinches himself every time his eyes threaten to fall close. Eventually he loses the battle, because when he opens his eyes, it’s no longer dark. Beside him, Baekhyun is still asleep and not trying to kiss him, which means he isn’t dreaming. Even deep in slumber, Baekhyun is still a beauty to behold. As much as he wants to reach out and touch the sleeping man, that is a dangerous path to thread. 

Instead he goes hunting for food, his belly aching with hunger. Very unlike him, he misses almost every shot he shoots, buried deep in thought about his feelings concerning Baekhyun. He’s definitely attracted to him, which he never expected to happen. Rolfesi and Maergs are so different, he always thought he would end up with a tall Rolfesi woman. Baekhyun is the direct opposite of that. Chanyeol only hope is that it remains a purely physical attraction. Finally his arrow lands through the neck of an unsuspecting stag. 

Dragging the stag home is another beast, luckily he didn’t fare to far from their camp. Baekhyun is already up and prodding around by the time he’s back. 

“I’d wondered where you’d gone, you could have woken me up,” Baekhyun nags like a mother, his expression changes when he notices the stag. “You brought food? Excellent, I was starving. Though a stag, isn’t that a bit excessive?” 

Chanyeol snorts. “Feel free to eat the leaves of the trees while I feast on the meat, Prince Baekhyun,” he responds in a light tone. Baekhyun catches on to it makes an over-exaggerated apology. 

“My deepest apologies. I’ll find wood for a fire.” And off he goes. 

Chanyeol is done skinning the stag once Baekhyun returns. He lets the wood he was carrying with him fall to the ground and just stares at the bundle.

“You don’t know how to start a fire, do you?” 

“No,” Baekhyun admits, sticking out his bottom lip. Prince Baekhyun is actually pouting, Chanyeol is going to lose his mind. He leaves the stag for what it is and walks over to Baekhyun.

“You might never have to do this again since you are a Prince, but allow me to help you,” He grabs a piece of wood and some smaller branches and explains Baekhyun how to start a fire through friction. He tries to follow Chanyeol’s instructions but doesn’t manage to alight the pile of branches. 

“You need to be quicker and put more pressure on the flat piece of wood.” Baekhyun nods but his grip is still too uncertain. Chanyeol gently places his hand over Baekhyun’s and guides him. Instead of following his movements, Baekhyun’s hand goes slack and he lets Chanyeol do all the work. The fire isn’t really coming along in this way, yet Chanyeol doesn’t let go to do it himself. The warmth of Baekhyun’s body against his own feels like it belongs. Baekhyun cranes his neck to look at him, his gaze too much for Chanyeol to handle. He lets go of the smaller man and takes the piece of wood into his own hands.

“I’ll do it,” He says without looking Baekhyun in the eye. Said man moves away and starts busying himself with something else. 

They each eat their meal in silence, seated on opposite sides of the fire. Afterwards they break down their tent and continue their path towards the mountains. 

A day mostly spent in silence later and the pair is ready to set up camp again. As much as Chanyeol wishes to strike up a conversation once more, he finds it difficult to even spare a glance at Baekhyun’s face. Now he’s lying inside the tent, unsuccessful in his attempts. He falls into a dreamless slumber. 

“What is that?” Baekhyun panicked voice wakes him. 

“What’s what?” Chanyeol sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. It’s still dark outside, he can barely make out Baekhyun’s silhouette. 

“What kind of creatures roam around here?” 

“A whole lot, what did you hear?” 

“Some kind of growl, what if it is something that wants to eat us?” 

Chanyeol has to try his best to suppress a laugh. The Maerg Prince has been brave up until now, even killing bandits in the blink of an eye. Somehow he’s afraid after hearing a growl. “Worry not, it’s probably a bear that followed the scent of dead deer. If we stay silent it won’t do anything,” He assures Baekhyun, reaching out to him in an effort to comfort him. He’s trembling. 

“Are you laughing at me?” The Prince asks.

“I would never,” Chanyeol counters, but that doesn’t sound believable even to himself. Baekhyun shrugs off the hand Chanyeol had laying on his shoulder. 

“If we both get eaten due to you not taking this seriously, I will kill you,” Baekhyun whispers furiously. 

“And how do you suppose you’d go about doing that?” Chanyeol is having way too much fun riling Baekhyun up. That is until he hears it too, a growl that doesn’t sound at all like a bear. He stiffens and starts padding around in search of his dagger. His sword and bow and arrow are still outside, he thought it be foolish to bring them inside the tent. Turns out he might have need for them after all. 

“Do you have a weapon?” He asks Baekhyun. 

“It’s not so funny anymore now, right?” The creature roars again, much closer this time. It takes the both of them by surprise. Baekhyun says something which he cannot understand. 

“What did you say?” 

“I just cursed, I’ll spare you the translation. I have no weapon lying around in the tent. Our lives depend on how well you can handle your dagger.” Chanyeol doesn’t like the sound of that. A massive shadow passes by the tent, the ground rumbles. If whatever is outside attacks them, they are doomed whether they are in the tent or not. The least they can do is put up a fight. With shaking fingers, Chanyeol pushes open the tent, Baekhyun closely following him. They step out, greeting them is darkness. That is until he looks to his right and the moon reflects the scales of the creature. 

“A dragon?!” Chanyeol screams, promptly dropping his dagger. For such a mighty beast the weapon won’t be of much use anyway. The dragon looms closer to them, its scales glistening in the moonlight. Two bright, yellow eyes look into his own, smoke coming from the creature’s nostrils. Its wings are curled up at its side, but even then they look huge. Along its back are spikes up to his tail, which is so far away Chanyeol can barely see it. Baekhyun clings to him as if his life depends on it, which may be so. 

“What are you two doing here, eating off my animals and using my wood to make a fire? Don’t tell me you plan to bring the war here?” Asks the beast in a low and bouldering voice.

“The dragon just spoke,” Chanyeol blabbers, still in total shock from the sheer size of the creature before them.

“I heard that, why don’t you answer him?” Baekhyun whispers back.

“Why me, you do it.” 

Baekhyun steps from behind Chanyeol to address the dragon. “We are merely passing. I carry with me terms for peace between Maergs and Rolfesi. If we may pass there will be no more war and we will leave your forest for what it is,” Baekhyun says with a diplomacy Chanyeol had not even seen him use in front of Queen Yhhra. 

The dragon doesn’t have very obvious expressions, yet Chanyeol can tell it is not happy. “Why would I believe you? People lie.” 

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispers and nudges the Maerg. “Show him the peace terms.” 

“I was told not to break the seal.” 

“It’s either show him or he burns us alive.” Out of the corner of his eye he can see that the amount of smoke coming from the dragons nostrils and the gaps between its canines increases. He would rather not find out how much fire the beast can produce. Baekhyun hands him the paper and he cracks the Royal Rolfesi seal. 

He holds the paper up high to make sure the dragon can see it. “Uhm, can you read?” He carefully asks at which the dragon laughs. Chanyeol didn’t know dragons could talk, let alone laugh.

“You amuse me. I can see from the Royal seal and Queen Yhhra’s signature that your intentions are as you say. I will let you continue on your path under one condition: this piece of forest will remain untouched by Rolfesi and Maergs alike.” 

“Yes, of course!” Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol are quick to make the promise to which the dragon nods. 

“If what you promise is broken I will not hesitate to burn any man that crosses my land alive,” The dragon threatens, his yellow eyes shifting between Baekhyun and Chanyeol. After what seems like an eternal stare-down, the creature spreads its massive wings and flies away, leaving a bewildered Baekhyun and Chanyeol behind. 

“We just spoke to a fucking dragon,” Chanyeol says, because he himself cannot believe it. 

“I- I didn’t even know they could talk,” Baekhyun stammers. 

“Me neither, I think it even laughed. And it even recognised the Queen’s signature. As a boy I always dreamed of seeing one. But the encounter went completely different than what I would expect of meeting a dragon.” 

Baekhyun laughs, a full body laughter, which catches Chanyeol by surprise. It might be his way of relieving the built up tension, from their day mostly ignoring each other to encountering a bloody dragon of all things. Chanyeol joins the other in his laughter and all is good again.


	4. Baekhyun II

After the unexpected encounter, neither of them can really sleep anymore. Since it’s still too dark to travel, they decided to stay up in the tent and tell ridiculous stories to each other. 

“I heard rumours that the reason that the war began was not because of dispute over land, but because Queen Yhhra and King Vennhir had an affair that went wrong.” 

“You cannot say such things!” 

“What are you going to do? Kill me?” Chanyeol taunts. “Didn’t you say you were still young when Queen Yhhra and his court came to the mountains? You think a child would see such things?” 

Baekhyun considers it, thinking back on the times Queen Yhhra visited them. There is nothing that comes to his mind that might confirm the rumour, but he wasn’t around them much, mostly playing with his cousins and Queen Yhhra’s children. “You might be right, even if they fucked right in front of me I might not have noticed. Children usually don’t catch on to those kind of things.” 

“Maybe they even have a child together.” 

“That would be outrageous, seeing as they are both married. Trust me, even young me would have noticed an odd looking child around the bunch.” 

“It could be that they’ve hidden the child,” Chanyeol suggests, grinning like a madman. 

“Now you’ve started to look and sound like a fool. I’m convinced the war happened because of the dispute over land, not because they have a bastard child,” Baekhyun waves Chanyeol absurd rumour away, not believing it one bit. It would be impossible to hide another person in the castle without rousing any kind of suspicion. 

“Then, what do you think happened?” 

“My King would have me say that the war started because of a need for land for our people, but from what I heard from my father, he wanted that land for his own selfish reasons. To build castles with gardens stretching out further than the eye can reach, something which he cannot do inside the mountains.” 

“You don’t stand by King Vennhir?” 

“I do not, but I don’t have much of a choice otherwise,” Baekhyun admits. Even if he were to find his luck elsewhere, where would he go? The same goes for many other Maergs, who would do nothing rather than leave, but there is no other place they’d fit in. 

“That is true. But if peace is restored it won’t be so bad anymore, right?” Chanyeol big eyes glisten with hope, they convey so much emotion. 

“Yes, things will be better.” They might, they might not, but Baekhyun doesn’t have the heart to crush Chanyeol’s hope. Happiness suits his handsome face much better than the gloomy look he had on their first few days of riding together. Baekhyun loves to admire his features when the other isn’t looking. He daydreams a lot, which gives Baekhyun the opportunity to let his eyes glide from dark brown hair, big, purple eyes, full lips, to his well-built upper body. Whenever Chanyeol says something to him, Baekhyun is quick to feign interest in the nearest tree. 

Over the top of the trees, the mountains can be seen and they loom closer every day. He keeps the paper with the peace terms on his person at all times. Keeping the recent events in mind, there might be a slim chance King Vennhir will accept the terms. On the other hand, they aren’t exactly on the winning hand in the war, which is something the King in the mountains may take in consideration. 

“I spot the mountains in the distance!” Baekhyun can’t help but smile at Chanyeol’s enthusiasm. “What’s it like in there?” 

“Dark, mainly.” 

“Very funny.” 

“I jest, my dear Chanyeol,” Baekhyun teases, to which the other’s face reddens. It was the reaction Baekhyun hoped for and he smiles ever so sweetly to the tall man.

“We have these beautiful underground lakes where the sun seems to light up the water. It is where the I amongst the other royals live. But further inside the mountains, where the mines are and the other Maergs live, it is very narrow and cold. You would not fit inside the tunnels and even if by some miracle you did, navigating through the system of tunnels is impossible unless you know them well.” 

“Do you like it, inside the mountains?” 

Baekhyun thinks about it for a moment, considering the feeling of freedom he has felt roaming around in the forest. The mountains, although big, now mostly consist of a network of tunnels, so anywhere he goes the path is predetermined. In the forest there is so much undiscovered ground, places he can go where no one has been before and where no one would ever find him. Though living close to one of the biggest underground lakes isn’t so bad. 

“Yes, but I must say that I’m enjoying our journey through the forest as well.” The thing that Baekhyun had been most fascinated by was the tree with leaves that light up by themselves. He had spotted them when sneaking to the Rolfesi camp, but there are so many more further in the forest. Chanyeol told him the Rolfesi call them Nightlights, which is a perfectly fitting name. In their light it looks like Chanyeol’s skin is glowing. 

“Beautiful,” he says whilst looking at Chanyeol’s handsome face.

“What?” 

“The trees, beautiful, aren’t they?” 

“Yes they are. Do you have something like it in the mountains?” 

“We have torches,” he replies, to which Chanyeol laughs. 

They set up camp not much later, their tent surrounded by Nightlights. At sunrise, Chanyeol takes him hunting. He observes how the muscles in his arm bulge as he draws an arrow that lands perfectly and with that provides their meal for the morning. They left behind uneaten parts of the stag Chanyeol previously caught, realising that it would be too much trouble to drag the heavy animal with them. Now the Rolfes makes sure he catches smaller animals they can eat in one go. They sit shoulder to shoulder around the fire, Baekhyun slightly leaning onto Chanyeol. The other either doesn’t notice it or refrains from commenting on it, too busy focussing on devouring his food. 

“I need a bath,” Baekhyun states out of nowhere. Being used to servants drawing him a bath every day, it feels like an eternity since the last time they washed themselves in a lake. Chanyeol takes the map from where it was tucked in his belt and studies it intently. 

“There is a lake not far from here. It’s a bit of detour, but not by much.” And so they take off towards the lake, which turned out to be a short ride from where they had made camp for the night. At the sight of the water Baekhyun jumps off his horse and hurriedly unfastens his belt. Once he’s bare save for his undergarments, he makes a run for the lake. He sighs contently at the feeling of the water touching his skin, it’s not as cold as last time, but still on the chilly side. As they got closer to the mountains, both their nights and days have been a lot warmer, so it’s no surprise that the weather heats up the water as well. 

He looks over to Chanyeol, who’s still standing at the edge off the lake, evidently not in as much of a hurry as he was. Behind him, the mountains make for a beautiful scenery, now so close that only the foot of the mountains is obscured by trees.   
Baekhyun is feeling bold and treats himself to a good look at Chanyeol’s sculpted chest and his long, bow-shaped legs. Said man has still only immersed his feet under water when Baekhyun splashes water in his direction.

“Hurry up, even a dead snail is faster than you.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really,” Baekhyun challenges, which causes Chanyeol to run towards him, a playful grin on his face. Baekhyun cackles as he swims away, but purposefully lets the other man catch up to him. He encircles his arms around Baekhyun and pulls both of them under water. Chanyeol is still holding him close by the time they emerge from the water, his firm chest pressed against Baekhyun’s back. Skin to skin, he can feel the gooseprickles spreading all over his body, just like the first time they made skin contact. 

With Chanyeol draped along his back it makes Baekhyun fully comprehend how small he is in comparison to the Rolfes. It is not as if he hadn’t noticed their height difference before, but being in such close contact with each other emphasizes it even more. He never thought much of the fact, thinking it to be more of an inconvenience to be that tall. Now, the realisation that Chanyeol is so much bigger in every sense arouses him. 

For a moment, both of them stand unmoving in the middle of the lake. That is until Chanyeol releases his grip somewhat and his hands travel lower and lower. They are slightly hesitant, so Baekhyun takes it upon himself to let the other know what he wants. He wiggles his bum against Chanyeol’s crotch, the fabric of their undergarments scratching against his skin. He leans further into Chanyeol’s chest, exposing his neck as a subtle hint. The other notices and soon after plump lips are attached to the long expanse of his neck. At first he is careful, but soon there is more pressure and he even playfully bites Baekhyun’s shoulder. One of Chanyeol’s long arms wraps around Baekhyun’s middle while the other reaches the edge of his undergarment. 

“Tell me you want this,” Chanyeol whispers close to his ear, to which he shivers. 

“I want this, I want you.” He’s desperate, but so is Chanyeol, who frantically rids him of his last article of clothing before taking off his own, all whilst still holding him. Now completely nude, Baekhyun pushes his arse against Chanyeol hardening length, moaning when he feels the sheer size of it. He feels hot all over, even surrounded by cold water. 

Chanyeol softly tugs on the strands at the back of his hair, guiding his head backwards. He cranes his neck so their lips can meet in a searing kiss. It feels so right to have Chanyeol’s plush lips against his own. Their kiss turns desperate rather quick, with their tongues exploring whatever they can reach. Kissing Chanyeol feels as though the other is trying to devour him whole, Baekhyun would let him if it were possible. Baekhyun in turn, is needy and demanding, taking all Chanyeol has to offer. He tangles his fingers through Chanyeol’s locks to better the angle somewhat. The other lets out a noise of appreciation, something between a moan and a groan, to which Baekhyun assumes he liked the action. So Baekhyun threads his fingers through Chanyeol’s wet hair and folds his other hand over the arm around his waist. He likes being held by Chanyeol, it feels safe, like he belongs there. 

His cock has now fully stirred to life, he’s frantically moving his hips. Chanyeol’s hands put a stop to that, holding him still. 

“Push your legs together.” Baekhyun does and understands what Chanyeol is about to do. As much as he wants his cock inside of him, they don’t have quick access to any oils to make it less painful. Both of them are too out of it to go search for it. 

The slide of Chanyeol’s cock between his legs has him rolling his eyes up towards the sky. Chanyeol’s hand that’s not holding Baekhyun’s hips takes Baekhyun’s neglected member and strokes it up and down. Chanyeol’s moans are right next to his ear, his hot breath fanning over his sensitive skin. 

“I love your thighs, they’re so soft,” Chanyeol murmurs and squeezes his thigh for good measure. All Baekhyun can do is moan. Chanyeol’s cock slides against the underside of his own, Baekhyun’s toe curl at how amazing the friction feels. His hold on Chanyeol’s arm is so strong that it might bruise his skin, but he doesn’t hear any complaints from the taller man. 

Chanyeol’s hand leaves his waist and moves upwards, Baekhyun’s breath hitches as he feels him pinching his nipple and scratch his blunt nail over the hardening bud. “Ah, Fuck,” He lets out, his grip on Chanyeol’s hair tightening. He can feel Chanyeol smiling against his neck from his outburst. 

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Watching me fall apart?” Baekhyun grits out, the last word turning into a moan as Chanyeol thrusts between his legs start speeding up. 

Chanyeol’s lips leave his neck long enough to say “Very much,” before he continues his administrations. With every thrust, Baekhyun appreciates the fact that it was Chanyeol that caught him spying more and more. He must look like a complete wreck right now if anyone were to see him, completely tangled up with the Rolfes behind him. He pushes his thighs further together so he can better feel the slide of Chanyeol’s cock against his skin. It’s so sinful, so frantic, yet so good. There is heat piling at the underside of his belly and his brain feels fuzzy. Overwhelmed with pleasure, from Chanyeol’s wandering hand to his hardness moving between his legs, he knows it won’t be long until he loses it. With a few good tugs at the hands of Chanyeol, he can see white behind his eyes. After some frantic thrusts, Baekhyun feels that Chanyeol has found his release as well. 

Baekhyun spins around to face Chanyeol, lazily grinning up at the taller man. They kiss once more, Baekhyun tracing his hands over the other’s chest, feeling the muscle shift beneath his skin. 

“If you continue that, we won’t be leaving the lake for a while,” Chanyeol warns, but doesn’t make an attempt to stop Baekhyun. 

“Won’t Napeii be angry that we defiled her lake?” 

“I think she does not mind, and even if she did, it would have been worth it.” 

Though his thighs are sore, Baekhyun feels thoroughly satisfied with the outcome of things. He’s almost saddened by the fact that they have two horses, he would much rather climb in front of Chanyeol and ride his horse together. His eyes trail over to the taller man, who’s already looking at him. Their gazes lock, and Baekhyun wishes they could turn around and return to the lake. Maybe stay there for another day, or maybe forever. 

“What will happen to me once we reach the mountains? Will King Vennhir throw me in a dark cell?” Chanyeol asks, uncertainty evident in his expression. 

“I will personally make sure you are treated with the utmost respect,” assures Baekhyun. There is a heavy thud behind them.

“I think something just fell from my horse.” Chanyeol gets off his horse and starts looking for between the layers of leaves on the ground. 

“I can’t seem to find it, there is an apple laying on the ground but I don’t recall us bringing one.” Neither does Baekhyun. And even if they would have brought an apple, it would have been either eaten or rotten by now It’s then when Baekhyun realises it’s a trap. Someone threw the apple on the ground with the purpose of dismounting them, putting them in a vulnerable position.

“Chanyeol get back on your horse, now!” He screams, but it’s too late. From behind the trees appear five Maerg soldiers. All of them point their swords in Chanyeol’s direction, one even goes as far as to stick the point against his neck, drawing a few drops of blood. Chanyeol holds up his hands in defeat. There is no way that he can go for either his dagger or own sword without being impaled by one of theirs. 

“Don’t kill him,” Baekhyun demands in his native tongue, but none of the soldiers withdraw their swords. One directs his attention to him.

“Your Highness, we’ve been looking for you for ages. Let us escort you to the castle and kill this walking tree,” The soldier says and nudges his head towards Chanyeol.

“I forbid you from doing that, he-” 

“Is it because you liked getting fucked by him that much,” another soldier sneers, effectively interrupting him. Baekhyun can feel the heat rising to his cheeks. “We heard you, I think the whole forest heard. Fraternizing with the enemy, you’re disgusting.” He spits at Baekhyun’s feet, who his grinds teeth in an effort to supress his rage. Unlike the other solider, this one makes no effort to be polite. 

“Lay down your swords or I’ll have you hanged!” He yells, but the soldiers do not listen to him. However, they are distracted to the point where Chanyeol can cease the opportunity to grab his dagger. 

“What are they saying?” Chanyeol asks, having no understanding of their tongue. Neither do the soldiers of his, which Baekhyun uses to his advantage. 

“They heard us, back at the lake. On the count of three, we kill them,” Baekhyun says. They are Maerg soldiers, wearing their emblem proudly on their breastplates, but he’s sure that he won’t feel much remorse for killing the bunch. Five soldiers won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. 

“Must we?” Chanyeol asks apprehensively, his eyes pleading Baekhyun to tell him otherwise. 

“Who told this walking tree he could talk?” One soldier taunts, Baekhyun takes a step closer. If word gets out what happened between him and Chanyeol, King Vennhir will have Chanyeol’s head, blood pact or not. For his sake and Baekhyun’s own, the soldiers need to die. He nods his head in confirmation and Chanyeol sighs. 

“One.” The soldiers start discussing amongst themselves who gets to kill Chanyeol. They don’t notice Baekhyun taking another step closer.

“Two.” There is some pushing and shoving amongst them, their swords are still pointed towards Chanyeol, but their scuffle has created some distance.

“Three!” Baekhyun screams and unsheathes his sword. He specifically seeks out the man calling him disgusting, who still has his sword pointed at Chanyeol. With one easy swoop he killed the man, yet it doesn’t take away from the satisfaction of seeing his blood soaked sword sticking out on the other side of the soldier’s body. He turns around, steel singing as swords meet. The man in front of him is slow, his defence penetrated with a quick jab into his intestines. The soldier falls to his knees. Baekhyun’s finishing blow doesn’t come when another soldier intercepts the attack, stealing the attention away. Before Baekhyun sees an opening to lunge, the other soldier joins the one already on his knees, falling face first into the grass and a dagger sticking out of his back. 

“I had him!” Baekhyun whines. 

“My apologies, Prince Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says and he makes an exaggerated bow. His face is covered in blood spatters, his tunic not much better off. They will have to return to the lake before they continue onward. Chanyeol takes one of the dead men and slings him over his shoulder. 

“What are you doing?” 

“We need to dispose of these bodies in the lake. If someone were to stumble upon this, it could be framed as a surprise Rolfesi attack. Which won’t help with the peace negotiations.” 

“Wise move,” Baekhyun replies and takes a hold of one of the dead soldiers as well. It’s a dreadful task. Soldiers don’t have much time to bathe, which makes the bodies smell terrible and they are quite heavy. Once they’ve moved them all to the edge of the lake, they fill their armour with stones and sink them to the bottom. Afterwards they wash their clothes and faces in another part of the lake, as far away from the bodies as possible.

Soon after they arrive at the foot of the mountains, there are soldiers bustling around the entrance. They all gape at the sight of Prince Baekhyun accompanied by a Rolfes. Baekhyun waves down the first patrol of King Vennhir’s guards he sees and instructs them to protect Chanyeol on their way to the castle. With their horses being practically useless in the mountains, being on foot is a lot less safe, they could get swarmed. As he predicted, a crowd starts to form, following them all the way through the narrow tunnels to the underground lake Baekhyun calls home. 

After the lengthy journey, it feels good to see the castle carved out of stone at the side of the lake again. It isn’t as high as the council building of the Rolfesi, but it makes up for it in terms of surface area. The castle is long, with halls that seem to never end. The two identical towers next to the entrance are wider than they are tall.

The guards fend off the crowd of people while Chanyeol and he enter the castle through the main gate. Almost directly after they find themselves inside the throne room.

They walk past statues of Maerg and her five children, three massive statues on each side. Behind those are tall, narrow windows, but it’s numerous candles that properly light up the room. Their steps echo around the practically empty space, save for the golden throne at the end. Baekhyun hates the thing with a passion. Maerg’s wish before passing away was to be immortalized as Queen of the mountains. Aside from building her a statue, they poured molten gold over her and her husband’s skulls and used them as armrests for the throne. 

Beside him, Chanyeol glances around with his mouth ajar, seemingly overwhelmed. Baekhyun taps his side to get his attention and smiles. It’s the best he can do to comfort the tall man for now, he hopes it’s enough. 

Every day, Maergs from every corner seek council from the King and his advisors. When King Vennhir isn’t discussing war strategies, he’s making an attempt at solving quarrels between the small-folk, mostly consisting of miners. He’s in the middle of giving advice to a weeping man when he spots Baekhyun. At first he smiles, but once his eyes glide over to Chanyeol, that smile is gone faster than his patience. 

“Clear the room!” He demands. The guards have to practically drag the weeping man out of the throne room. Now it’s only Chanyeol and Baekhyun standing in front of the King and his advisors. Amongst them are his older brother and the King’s own children. They all appear to be surprised at Chanyeol’s presence, but none are as outraged as the King himself.

“What is the meaning of this, Baekhyun?” He points an accusatory finger at Chanyeol, who must wonder what is going on. “First you slip away from our camp and disappear, then you come back with this Rolfes?” 

Baekhyun bows deeply, yet he keeps his eyes trained on the King, as is their custom. “Your Majesty, allow me to explain.” 

“Explain all you want whilst I throw that walking tree in a cell.” The King nods towards a group of Royal Guards who start marching over towards Chanyeol. 

“You can’t, we made a blood pact!” 

The King narrows his eyes, his icy stare makes Baekhyun shiver. “A blood pact?” 

“Yes. I don’t know how it works exactly, but what I do know is that everything Chanyeol feels, I feel as well. If you let him starve, I’ll starve. If you torture him, I will feel the same pain. If you kill him, I die too.” He lies. If the King knew that the blood pact only binds their lives together, he would throw Chanyeol in the dungeons on water and bread, something which Baekhyun would very much like to prevent. At this, his brother looks shocked and opens his mouth for the first time since they entered the castle.

“Did they force you into this, Baekhyun?” 

“No, I did it on my own will. And aside from that, they let me stay in one of the most beautiful rooms in the castle. We should give Chanyeol the same hospitality.” At this point, his lies come easily.

“Queen Yhhra and her dammed magic!” The King yells and slams his fist down on the armrest of the throne. “Now tell me what happened in the time you were gone and why you brought a Rolfes in my castle.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Baekhyun responds and tells the story about what happened, leaving out the part where he had sex with Chanyeol and killed five of their own soldiers. He doesn’t know what the King would do if he found either of these things out, but he’d like to keep not knowing. 

“These are the peace terms Queen Yhhra entrusted me with.” He lifts the paper from his belt and walks over to King Vennhir, who eyes the broken seal apprehensively. 

“Why has the seal been cracked? Did you make sure that your ‘travel companion’ didn’t temper with it?” 

“Right, I forgot to mention that we encountered a dragon who would have burned us alive if we didn’t show them.” 

Some of the advisors stifle a laugh, the King’s laughter is more disdainful. “You will have me believe this foolish talk?” 

“Your Majesty, it is the truth. I wouldn’t have broken the seal otherwise. The paper hasn’t been tampered with. All the terms for peace have been written in Queen Yhhra’s handwriting.” A low murmur spreads amongst the council, who sound more interested in their encounter with the dragon than the peace terms itself. 

“Only because you’re my nephew I will believe you. But deception has a harsh punishment, even for family members,” The King warns. “Guards, take the Rolfes over to the guest wing and make sure he is fed properly. Baekhyun, you may take your leave whilst my advisors and I go over the peace terms.” More like the King decides for himself whether he can accept what’s been written on the paper, but Baekhyun wisely refrains from saying that out loud. 

He directs his attention to Chanyeol, who looks thoroughly confused. “They’re going to deliberate what to do with the peace terms. The guards will escort you to guest chambers in the meanwhile. I’ll visit you soon,” He explains in the Rolfes’ own tongue. Chanyeol nods and gets whisked away by a couple of guards. 

On his own, Baekhyun speed walks to his chambers. He waits until he assumes that Chanyeol and the guards have reached his guest room until making his way over there. No one is guarding the door, which isn’t necessary since the King keeps a tight ship. The rooms in the guest wing are rarely occupied and besides, no one in the castle, save for the people who were present in the throne room, knows about Chanyeol being here. Thrice he knocks on the door before it’s swung open by the tall Rolfes. The hairs on the crown of his head grace the top of the door, clearly not built for someone his size. 

He opens the door far enough to let Baekhyun in, closing it immediately after. “What did the King have to say about me? I know it must not have been positive, judging from his tone.” 

That leaves Baekhyun with no room to sugar-coat the King’s words. Hit hatred for the Rolfesi was so obvious it transcended language. “He initially wanted to throw you in a cell until I told him about the blood pact, which he wasn’t happy about. Also he called you a walking tree.” 

Chanyeol frowned “I don’t think I understand. He can still throw me in a cell. As long as he keeps me alive it won’t affect you.” 

“I might have excecated the effects of the blood pact somewhat,” Baekhyun admits. “All to get you the best room in the castle, of course,” he adds with a wide smile. 

“Thank you, Baekhyun. How would you express gratitude?” 

Baekhyun demonstrates how to say ‘thank you’ in his native tongue, making sure he speaks as slow as possible. Chanyeol tries his best to mimic the example, but gets tongue tied in the middle of the second word. 

“You know, I used to dislike the way Maergs speak so much, but when you do it, it sounds almost like an entirely different tongue.” Is what Chanyeol says after Baekhyun had to repeat the example several more times. 

This certainly piques Baekhyun’s interest. “Explain why you dislike the way we speak to me.” 

“Uhm,” Chanyeol stumbles over his words, the tips of his ears turning red. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.” His eyes are downcast, solely trained on the silk covers of the bed. 

“I asked you for an explanation, you seem to have your reasoning. Worry not, I’ve heard it before that our tongue sounds harsh and unfriendly.” Baekhyun places two fingers under Chanyeol’s chin to make the other look at him. Their eyes lock and Baekhyun wishes they were back at the lake, not awaiting King Vennhir’s poor judgement. 

“It reminds me so much of the attack on my village. Maergs were shouting everywhere, it’s such a bad memory that I can’t seem to shake off.” There is a sadness in Chanyeol’s eyes that makes Baekhyun’s heart ache. He shifts closer to the taller man and rubs slow circles on his back. 

“What happened?” 

“It has been so long that I can’t remember all the details. I woke up in the middle of the attack. The Maergs burnt down the entire village. My mother and I tried to escape, but two Maergs chased us and were going to kill both of us. But there was this other Maerg, who came out of nowhere and killed the two others. She told me to run, I never saw what happened to her or my mother, but I think the answer is obvious.” 

Baekhyun feels his blood run cold at the realisation at what Chanyeol just told him. Suddenly he is a young boy again, his eyes tearful as his father tells him that his mother won’t be coming home. She was a firm opposer of the plans from King Vennhir, he was later told that his mother slipped out of the castle the day of the first attack, being one of the only few that knew of the attack beforehand. It never became clear what her exact intentions were, but she wanted to help them somehow. Could it be that the woman that saved Chanyeol’s life, was his mother?

“What did she look like, the woman that killed those two other men?” 

“Why do you ask?” 

“Because the woman that saved you could be my mother.”


	5. Chanyeol III

There have been lots of coincidences in Chanyeol’s life. One time he fell over the root of a tree and coincidently stumbled upon the berries his mother and him had been searching for. Nothing close to the coincidence that Baekhyun’s mother arrived just in time to save him. Without her, the two Maergs would have without a doubt killed him. His eyebrows knit together as he tries to recall her face. The memory of his town burning down and him leaving his mother behind is not something he likes to dwell too much upon, but for Baekhyun’s sake he goes through the past events in his mind. 

Now he puts the two together, he can see the resemblance between Baekhyun and the woman that saved him. She had the same eyes and nose, the shape of her face was very similar as well. How could he ever forget that face after she saved his life. There is no doubt that the woman was Baekhyun’s mother, which such unique features. A tear rolls down his cheek at the memory, whether from relief that he was saved, or from sadness about the death of his saviour and his precious mother. 

“It was her, she looked so much like you, she-” A sob escapes from his lips before he can finish what he was trying to say. Baekhyun puts his arms around him in a sideways embrace. With one hand he strokes Chanyeol’s hair, who places his head in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck. 

“I’m sorry that your mother died saving me,” Chanyeol croaks out once he’s calmed down somewhat. Raising his head, Baekhyun’s eyes are brimmed with tears as well. He uses his thumb to wipe them away. 

“No, she did what she wanted to do, save innocent lives. And she succeeded, you are here now. I’m glad she did it, and I’m sure she would be too.” Warmth blooms in Chanyeol’s chest. It’s a feeling unlike anything he’s ever experienced, but he doesn’t dislike it. Also, it’s a relief that Baekhyun doesn’t blame him for the death of his mother, even though there was not much he could do about it. 

“Did she ever return?” 

“Yes, but only as a corpse. the evening before the attack was the last time I ever saw her alive.” Baekhyun’s eyes water up again as he speaks about his mother. Losing a parent is always tough, even years after. 

“But how? Don’t you have laws that forbid the killing of royalty?” 

“We do, but it gets a bit iffy since my mother attacked our own people, soldiers who were following my uncle’s foolish orders. In the end the King chose not to believe the betrayal and hung every single person that was involved in the attack on your village, whether they knew anything about what happened to my mother or not.” 

“Did you eventually find out what happened?” 

“We did not. I think the soldiers knew they were doomed, so they kept their mouths sealed tight.” Baekhyun sighs, long and deep. Chanyeol pulls the man closer in a proper embrace, circling his long arms around Baekhyun’s middle. They stay like this for a while until Baekhyun speaks up. 

“Crying always makes me sleepy,” Baekhyun yawns. “I don’t want to walk all the way back to my room.’’

“Then don’t, we can share my bed.” He motions towards the massive bed they are sitting on. They’ve shared a tent the whole journey here so it wouldn’t make much of a difference. 

A series of knocks on the door wakes him. The only thing illuminating the room is the few candles he left burning in case he needed to relief himself in the middle of the night. There is no telling whether it’s night still or morning already with the complete darkness outside. Chanyeol slowly sits up before the realisation dawns on him where he is. He shakes Baekhyun awake.

“You need to hide, someone just knocked on the door,” he whispers. Baekhyun doesn’t waste a moment and runs towards the wardrobe next to the bed. After he has hidden himself successfully, Chanyeol goes to open the door. Behind it is not a guard, but someone he recognises as one of the advisors of the King. His features are similar to Baekhyun’s; same downwards drooping eyes and mouth. The only obvious difference is that he’s even smaller than Baekhyun. He doesn’t look much older, so it must be his brother. The man is busy eyeing him from head to toe, so Chanyeol chooses to be the one to break the silence. 

“Has the King come to a decision?” 

Rather than giving him an answer, the man walks past him into his room. He stops in front of the wardrobe and knocks on it.

“Baekhyun, I know you are in here. Come out I need to discuss something with you as well as your… friend,” The man says in Rolfesi tongue, so he must want Chanyeol to understand him as well. Baekhyun comes out of the wardrobe with an apologetic smile on his face. 

“How did you know where to find me?” He asks his brother. 

“You weren’t in your own chambers, so I figured you would be here.” He doesn’t wait for an invitation to sit down and plants himself on one of the chairs in front of the bed. Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol follow his example and sit down on the edge of the bed. 

There is nothing that hints at him being mad at Baekhyun for sleeping in the same room as Chanyeol, which is a relief. There have been some instances where Chanyeol had to deal with over-protective older siblings. Besides that, any type of relations between a Maerg and Rolfes are seen as taboo by almost everyone. Baekhyun’s brother doesn’t make a comment about it, he doesn’t even look interested by the fact at all. 

“Any reason why you woke us up in the middle of the night, Beomun?” 

Beomun sighs and rubs his hands over his face. Even with what little light the few candles in the room give off Chanyeol notices that the man looks tired. “King Vennhir plans on refusing the terms for peace and continue the fighting. Once again ignoring all the advice we gave him.” 

Chanyeol can’t decide whether to scream or to weep. This means that the fighting will continue until the bitter end, he doesn’t know how much more burnt villages and slain soldiers he can handle. 

“Baekhyun, do you trust him?” Beomun asks. 

“I do. We might not know each other long, but I do know that he as much as an advocate for peace as we are.” 

Beomun fixes his intense gaze on Chanyeol. “Is that so?” 

“Yes, I want nothing more than have this fighting be over with. Your King started the battle, but with the acceptance of the peace terms he can also end it.” 

“He won’t,” Beomun affirms. “Which is why we need to get rid of him and let his heir ascend.” 

Chanyeol is at a loss for words. At first he doubts whether the man is serious, or this is a jape. His face doesn’t allude to that being the case, which makes it all the more terrifying. Is he about to get involved in a coup? He started this journey with the intent of dropping Baekhyun at the council and never looking back, now he’s here, considering whether to get involved in getting rid of the Maerg King. There is not a thing that comes to mind that makes it a bad idea, they save countless innocent lives by getting rid of one. It’s clear than even the people closest to him don’t agree with the manner in which he rules. 

“How do you plan on doing that?” Before Chanyeol agrees on anything, he has to know what Beomun has in mind. There are so many things that could go wrong with the idea. 

“I’ve given it a lot of thought. My job as one of the advisors of King Vennhir was mostly spent being ignored so I had plenty of time to conjure up with a plan. First and foremost I want to point out that I do not intend to kill the King. He is still our uncle after all.” 

Baekhyun scoffs. “Our uncle who has done some awful things, he caused mass slaughter.” 

“Right, that is why I intend to give him a faith worse than death, living out a miserable life in the mines, away from the riches and luxuries he has grown accustomed to. By transforming him into someone else.” It suddenly clicks with Chanyeol why Beomun intended on him being involved with the plan, rather than only his younger brother. 

“I take it that you intend to use a potion to achieve such a goal?” 

“Yes, that was exactly my idea. If you could make it I can put it in a bottle of wine and offer it to our uncle.” 

The use of magic is something the Rolfesi are well known for. Almost everyone has at least a basic understanding of it. However, a potion that changes one person’s appearance into that of someone else is very difficult to make and requires a set of skills Chanyeol as a soldier simply does not possess. 

“Such a potion can only be made by a handful of potion brewers. It’s a rather tricky process.” 

Beomun grimaces, with the shadows cast on his face caused by the little lightning it looks quite menacing. “That is rather unfortunate. I falsely assumed that the potion was something that every Rolfes knew how to craft.”

“My apologies, Your Highness, I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.” 

“No need to apologise, I will just have to think of something else.” Beomun waves his worries away and silence falls between the three of them. 

“Do you know of anyone that is able to craft the potion?” Baekhyun’s question breaks the silence. Being able to perform intricate magic and craft difficult potions is something admired by Rolfesi. The people who are able to master such skills are widely known, Chanyeol is certain he can name every one of them. The problem lies in where they are located.

Chanyeol reluctantly admits what he knows, which brings glee to the eyes of both Baekhyun and his older brother. “Before you get too hopeful, most Masters moved deep into the forest once the war started. It could take weeks, months before you reach any of them. The closest one lives in the part of the forest where we encountered the dragon.” 

“Didn’t you say that the dragon spoke?” Beomun asks.

“Yes, and he used that ability to threaten to burn anyone that crosses his piece of the forest alive.” 

“Maybe now that it knows us, it will let us speak to the Master potion brewer?” 

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Chanyeol counters. It didn’t appear that the dragon wanted to be their friend. 

“I will think of another plan then.” 

Before Beomun can continue, Baekhyun interrupts him. “No need, Chanyeol and I will travel back to that part of the forest and ask the Master brewer to make us the potion.” 

“I don’t remember agreeing to that,” Chanyeol responds sharply, rendering the room quiet once again. 

Beomun looks highly uncomfortable by the change of subject, his eyes darting between Baekhyun and Chanyeol. “I will leave you two to it.” He gets up and with a quick few strides he is out of the room. 

The pair stares at each other for a few heated moments. “Baekhyun, we are not going back. You heard what the dragon said. Even if we manage to sneak out of this castle, there is no way we’d make it out alive,” Chanyeol states, crossing his arms. 

“The least we can do is try. Why would you give up so easily. The solution to peace between our people is right in front of us. Is that not what you want?” 

“Of course I want peace, but going on a journey that will guaranteed get us killed is not the way to go about it! Why do you need the poison anyway? You can kill the King just like the bandits and soldiers we encountered.” 

“It is not that simple. If we kill the King there will be a mess and a body as evidence. With the potion we get rid of that problem. Without a body there is still a mystery left of what could have happened to the King. Then, rather than pointing fingers to who murdered him, everyone will busy themselves with the question of what actually happened.” 

“Let us imagine that we actually go along with your idea. What do you think would happen once your uncle finds out that the both of us have vanished from the castle. He is going to assume I kidnapped you and send soldiers after us. Even if we manage to persuade the dragon not to burn us alive, the soldiers won’t be so lucky.” 

“You had no problem killing those bandits and Maerg soldiers earlier. Sometimes there are sacrifices that need to made for the greater good.”

“I actually had a problem with it, but it had to be done in order to protect you. Sacrificing the soldiers that the King will send after us is avoidable by not going!” The last few words tumble out of his mouth rather harshly, Chanyeol let his anger get the better of him. He expects Baekhyun to come with a rebuttal but the other refrains from forming any sort of response. It doesn’t entirely look like he has convinced Baekhyun, but he got his message across. 

“All right, let us compromise. I will find any information I can on dragons so we don’t get burned alive and in the meanwhile you can think of a way to avoid getting anyone that follows us murdered.” 

“Will you wait until I figure something out?” Chanyeol will take this compromise if it means no more blood on his hands, though Baekhyun’s stance on the matter irks him.

“I will. I’m off to the library,” Baekhyun announces and with that leaves the room. Their argument might have upset him more than Chanyeol thought, because he is unusually curt. He sighs and decides that his mind is more useful thinking of a non-lethal trap. 

In the first few years of the war soldiers often used traps to catch Maergs and imprison them. When there seemed no end to the fighting and the negotiations between the two kingdoms had stopped, their tactic switched to kill on sight. Those still imprisoned were soon killed to avoid heaping food costs. Chanyeol hated this, but was left no choice other than go along with it. It is safe to say that it has been a while since he has laid a trap. He grabs a piece of paper and goes to work, jutting down everything he still remembers. The materials used could be found almost anywhere in the forest, though he wondered if he had enough time to build it. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short so I'll post the next one in a few days to make up for it!


	6. Baekhyun III

Baekhyun ascended the spiral stairs leading towards the extensive library at the second floor of the castle. The bookcases seemingly going on forever, the shelves packed full. There must be something there on dragons.

Out of the two of them, Beomun was the more studious brother. Baekhyun preferred the thrill of fighting instead of spending his days holed up in the library. Still, as a prince he was forced to attend lessons, which at the time he hated. Now he’s glad he was taught where different book categories are stored. There is a whole section dedicated to rare creatures, which dragons are one of. Sightings of them are few and far in between. They are massive yet intelligent creatures, one of the only few able to communicate through speech. He wonders if anyone has ever taken it upon themselves to properly study them. He stands on his tiptoes to reach for a book at the top shelf. It has a picture of a dragon on the back, which leaves no illusions at to what it’s about.

The book only provides more general information about dragons, it isn’t of much use. Though he now knows that the one they encountered is certainly male. He spends the day spitting through books until the candle he brought with him has almost burned out. With a smack he closes the book he was reading, his thoughts drifting elsewhere. The argument he had with Chanyeol earlier still plagues his mind. From the looks of it, the Rolfes seemed truly hurt, and Baekhyun starts to realize he went about the matter in an insensitive way. He shouldn’t be so quick to discard the lives of others. After all, he himself has been at a soldier camp to hear their stories of hoping to return to their families. 

Baekhyun doesn’t feel like reading any longer, he places all the books he skimmed through back where they belong. The few remaining books he still hasn’t read through are piled up on his desk. He takes them with him as he returns to Chanyeol’s room. 

Seeing Chanyeol deep in concentration is intriguing to say the least. He has his eyebrows furrowed and is completely in his element, his hands busy drawing what must be a trap. There is only a single candle burning on the table where Chanyeol is sitting, so Baekhyun takes it upon himself to light a few more. Once the room is basked in warm light, Chanyeol looks up and offers him a smile which does not reach his eyes. It is almost as if they are back to the beginning of their journey when Chanyeol tried his best to remain distant. He puts the books he brought with him on the nightstand next to the bed. 

He says the other’s name in order to get his attention. Chanyeol looks up from his paper.   
“I need to offer you my apologies for what I said to you earlier. I have come to realise that the way in which we achieve peace must not come at the cost of those we intend to protect. Is there any way I can aid you into making your trap?” 

This time the smile Chanyeol directs at him is genuine. “I accept your apology and your offer for help. I’m in need of a lot of rope.” 

“That won’t be a problem, leave it to me. I will do it tomorrow, for now I am too tired.” Baekhyun lets himself fall on the bed dramatically, which earns him a chuckle from Chanyeol. It makes him smile, which is the last thing he does before he falls asleep. 

Chanyeol is still asleep even after Baekhyun has bathed and dressed. When he takes a peek at the paper lying on the table he can guess why. The Rolfes was probably busy making adjustments to his trap until deep in the night. It looks plausible enough to work, though they will only find that out once they have actually built it. 

He returns to his own chambers, finding his personal servant in the middle of changing his sheets. 

“Minseok?” 

The servant drops everything in his hands and takes a bow. “Yes, Your Highness?” 

“There is something which I would like you to do for me.” 

After sending Minseok on his way to fetch as much rope as he could find, Baekhyun returns to Chanyeol’s guest chambers, where he finds said man awake and hunched over the table once again. 

“Rope is being taken care of.” 

Chanyeol puts down his pencil and flexes his fingers. “Thank you, Baekhyun. Though there is something else on my mind regarding this plan.” 

“What might that be?” 

“How do you suppose we escape the castle?” 

“That won’t be a problem. Curtesy to young Baekhyun finding every possible way out whenever he was bored. Though it is best that we wait until nightfall.” 

“All right, but we need to make the net of the trap before we leave. Setting up the trap itself will take time and if we make the net after we leave we might not be ready on time before the soldiers catch up to us,” Chanyeol explains, pointing towards his drawing. Baekhyun doesn’t exactly understand how it works, but he trusts Chanyeol’s design. 

“We will, I have sent someone to get the rope for us. Now, I have to get back to reading to prevent the dragon from killing us after we have set up the trap,” he says in a playful tone, tapping the book on top of the pile on the nightstand. 

Chanyeol offers him a toothy grin, which makes his eyes look kind of uneven. It is an adorable sight, one that Baekhyun would like to see more often. For a brief moment neither of them avert their eyes. An itch spreads through his fingers, he’s longing to touch Chanyeol, who’s eyes are fixated on him. Now is not the time however, because even if he laid his hands on the Rolfes for a moment, there is no way he would let go. Breaking the eye contact, Baekhyun resumes reading where he left off, the itch never leaving his hands. 

Later that evening, Baekhyun returns to his own chambers only to find Minseok already there. With him he carries two big bags filled with, what Baekhyun assumes to be, rope. Once Minseok notices his presence, he bows. 

“Your Highness.” 

“Minseok, I see you have got what I asked of you, excellent.” 

“If I may ask, what do you need all that rope for?” 

Baekhyun knew the question was coming, since it’s not every day a prince asks for rope out of nowhere. “I saw some really beautiful decoration when I was with the Rolfesi, so I wanted to recreate it. I would ask you to do it but these days boredom is so rampant, I rather try to make it myself.” 

“Really, what kind of decoration?” 

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The King obviously instructed the servants to intervene in Baekhyun’s business even more than usual. Minseok wasn’t very subtle about it. Baekhyun plastered on his best pretend smile and answered the question. “It is rather hard to explain, but I can show you once I am done. It will probably only take a couple of days.” 

“That would be an honour, Your Highness,” Minseok replies and leaves Baekhyun with the bags of rope. 

After almost breaking his back carrying the ropes back to Chanyeol’s guest chamber, Baekhyun is more than happy to resume his reading. Out of all the books, the one he is currently reading is by far the most informative. He sits on the bed as he flips through the pages, while Chanyeol busies himself with tying the ropes into a net. Baekhyun considered tasking Minseok with that as well, but it would certainly arouse some form of suspicion. What would a prince do with such a big net? All though Minseok is more a servant to him than any of his other family members, Baekhyun knows the servant reports everything back to his uncle. 

“Do you need any help?” Baekhyun asks, though truth be told he would much rather resume reading on the comfortable bed. Still, it is the polite thing to do. 

Chanyeol holds up one of the knots he made. “Do you know how to tie a knot like this?” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Then it is of no use. It would take longer to explain you this than doing it by myself. Besides, you reading those books might save our lives.” 

“Good, I did not want to get up anyway.” 

Chanyeol chuckles and gets back to making a net for the trap. His hands working on the knots have Baekhyun mesmerised before he remembers he is supposed to be reading. 

Not much later, Baekhyun stumbles upon the most useful information about dragons yet. “I think I found something!” He yells, unable to contain his enthusiasm. 

“What is it?” 

“It says here that if you want to make it out of a dragon’s territory alive, you should give them something in return. You are eating from their land, so you are only taking things away.” 

“Is this from a credible source?” 

“I think so. The woman who wrote the book wanted to farm the fertile land on a dragon’s territory. At first the dragon refused because she would take away its living space without giving anything back. But then she offered to share her livestock with the creature, something which it normally had to hunt for, so the dragon accepted. She writes that the dragon told her she was the first person to offer him anything instead of just taking things away.” 

“That seems reasonable enough. I mean, we ate animals from the dragon’s territory and used wood from its trees to start a fire. But what can we bring with us to offer the dragon?” 

That was a good question, one Baekhyun did not know the answer to. Bringing livestock with them would slow them down significantly, so that was not an option. He did read that dragons, much like ravens, have an unexplainable love for shiny, gold things. “Something gold. And maybe a small animal to be certain.” There was enough in the palace that could certify as ‘gold and shiny’. The guest room alone was filled with six golden candleholders. 

“So we take something from the palace and hunt for a small animal outside of the dragon’s territory.” 

“That was my idea, yes.” 

“Let us pray that it works,” Chanyeol said, looking a bit pale at the prospect of facing the dragon again. 

Baekhyun jumps off the bed in order to crouch down next to where Chanyeol is sitting, the net still in his hands. “If you are afraid, I will not fault you for it. I can do this on my own, if you would tell-”

“No, I am going with you!” Chanyeol assures him. “Why would you think I’m afraid?” 

“Because you are looking whiter than my bedsheets right now.” 

Chanyeol gasps. “That’s not true, take it back.” 

“Look at any reflective surface and you will find that what I am telling you is very much the truth.” It is no longer true, Chanyeol is now looking red rather than white. Chanyeol makes a sudden move, taking off one of his shoes and throwing it at Baekhyun, who can dodge the object just in time. 

“You dare make an attempt at my life, the life of someone that is part of the royal family. Something which is punishable by getting a shoe thrown at your face!” Baekhyun shouts and flings one of his own shoes towards Chanyeol. It misses him just by a beat and almost knocks down a candle. That still doesn’t stop Baekhyun from throwing his left shoe. There is a knock on the door just when Chanyeol is in the middle of taking off his other shoe. 

“Baekhyun?” Judging from the voice, it could be no one else but his older brother. Beomun looks at the oddly placed shoes and then to the pair standing in the middle of the room, Chanyeol with a shoe still in his hand. “What were you doing?” 

“Throwing shoes at each other,” Chanyeol answers truthfully. 

“Have you still not made up?” 

“We have, the throwing shoes was for fun.” 

“For fun?” Beomun repeats incredulously. 

“It was fun until you interrupted,” Beomun rolls his eyes at his younger brother. “What is the reason for your visit?” 

“I came to ask when you intend on leaving. Because I wanted to wish the both of you good luck before the second part of your journey began.” 

“Thank you, Beomun, we are going to need all the luck we can get.” 

“Hopefully the Gods are on our side,” Chanyeol adds. 

“Is your net almost finished?” He asks Chanyeol, who in turn holds it up for both the brothers to see. It is massive, big enough to hold at least a dozen men. King Vennhir probably wouldn’t send any more than that. 

“We could leave tonight?” Chanyeol directs his question towards Baekhyun, who swiftly agrees. The quicker they would get this over with, the less damage King Vennhir could cause. It will not take long before he sends more barely trained soldiers to die in the forest, something which they can prevent if they make haste. 

“Best of luck to both of you then. I hope to see you again soon. Please do not put yourself in any unnecessary danger.” Beomun pulls Baekhyun in for a hug and does the same with Chanyeol, only whispering something in his ear. It sounds a lot like ‘please take care of him’, which puts a smile on Baekhyun’s face. 

After Beomun leaves, the pair nervously waits until the sun has gone down completely. Their necessities are packed in a couple of heavy bags. It is safe to say that he’s not looking forward to carrying the weight. Baekhyun carries the candleholders, Chanyeol is burdened with dragging around the massive net. Once it has gone completely dark outside, the two of them jump into action. 

As they make their way to Baekhyun’s room, they pass a couple of servants and a guard. The latter stops them, eying Chanyeol warily. 

“Your Highness, I have been given orders by the King that the Rolfesi is not allowed out of his guest chambers.” Baekhyun had foreseen this, but there was no other way to move Chanyeol to his own room without being seen. The secret passageways inside the castle did not lead from the guest chambers to the wing where most of the royal family resided. 

“I merely want to show him something, I will return him to his chambers in a couple of moments.” 

The guard doesn’t budge. “His Majesty the King insisted, I must escort him back to the guest wing.” 

“Why don’t I tell my dear uncle that it was you, a simple palace guard who dare question my intentions? Or should I fetch him right now myself?” That does the trick. The guard swallows heavily and lets them through without any further objection. He will no doubt inform King Vennhir of their actions, but it gives them enough time to sneak out. 

Baekhyun’s chambers are cold. It has been a while since he slept here, so there has been no fire burning. The room feels almost unfamiliar, still, he remembers exactly where the door that leads to the sewer is. “Help me move this dresser, the door to the tunnel is underneath there.” Together they lift the heavy thing up, revealing the small door with an iron handle. It has been placed in a way that it wouldn’t be noticeable unless you knew where to find it, yet Baekhyun moved his dresser over it just in case. Servants scrub the floors and he didn’t want to take a risk of one of them discovering it. 

“I brought us some spare clothes because the tunnel leads to the sewer. There is no other way out of the castle without being noticed.” 

Chanyeol makes a sour face. “If we get back with the potion I deserve a crown myself for walking through shite to help with the peace.” 

“Exactly, I do not see either of our rulers crawling through the sewers. That takes a special kind of dedication.” 

Chanyeol has to bend his back to properly fit inside the tunnels. They are narrow and cold. There is mould on the wall, but Baekhyun is forced to touch them in order to navigate. He can smell the sewers before they’re even there. It is a stench unlike anything else, overpowering everything else. It almost makes him retch. Behind him, Chanyeol isn’t much better off, complaining about the smell in very colourful vocabulary. 

“Wait until we have to go through the sewage itself, I fear it will be even worse.” Which it is. Knowing what things end up in the sewer and being waist deep in it is much more terrible than just the smell, that is now so strong it makes his eyes water. Baekhyun tries his best to keep the bag he’s carrying above the dirty water, but his arms are starting to protest. He trots on, trying hard not to think about the things that graze his legs as he moves through the water. 

“Will it take long, this walk through the sewers?” 

Baekhyun takes note of the pattern of scratches on the wall, he knows exactly where they are. “No, we are almost at the end.” He dare not talk any more, trying to hold his breath as long as possible as to not inhale the nauseating smell. The iron bars at the end of the sewers have been broken for quite some while now. Neither him nor his brother, presumably the only ones using the sewers to sneak out of the palace, have bothered to tell anyone about it. Therefore it has never been fixed, so Baekhyun can easily walk through. 

The sewer is connected to the great river that divides the mountains into two. “Let us walk up the river a bit so we can bathe in water that has not been contaminated by the sewage,” Baekhyun suggests, to which Chanyeol wholeheartedly agrees. Once they are clean and donned their fresh clothes, they continue their journey to the Master potion brewer on foot. That is one big disadvantage from sneaking out of the castle, they don’t have a horse. They will have to walk through the night to properly stay ahead of any soldiers that might be sent to follow them, who will be on horseback. 

“I thought that the soreness from riding a horse for so long was bad, but I am not looking forward to our journey on foot.” Baekhyun can already imagine the blisters on his feet after walking for a few days. 

Chanyeol clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “We’ve barely escaped the castle and you’re already complaining. What a spoiled little prince you are.” 

“There is nothing spoilt about not wanting to walk for weeks on end,” Baekhyun argues and sticks his tongue out towards his companion like a child. 

“Correction, spoiled, silly little prince.” Chanyeol mimics Baekhyun’s previous action. 

As they get further and further away from the mountain, they start looking for the best spot to install the trap. As they’re walking, they’re leaving obvious traces for the soldiers to find them. Chanyeol inspects the trees they pass and halts after finding the perfect one. Dawn is already upon them when they start to work. Baekhyun tries to follow Chanyeol’s instructions as best as possible, but in the end it is the Rolfes who does most of the work. 

“We have laid down our trap, now what?” Baekhyun questions.

“We lure them in it somehow.” 

“How did you do it when you were a soldier?” 

“I made sure they saw me as I stood close to the trap, so as they were chasing me they had to run over it. Their weight activates it. But we must make sure the soldiers start running all at once, or it will only catch some of them.” 

Baekhyun muses on that thought for a second. “I think I know how.” 

It isn’t long until the pair can hear a horse neighing in the distance, the soldiers must be near. Once they are close enough the two of them start to move. Chanyeol presses a knife against Baekhyun’s throat, just as they agreed, and drags him out from the tree they were hiding behind. The group of soldiers, ten Baekhyun quickly counts, halt immediately once they spot the two of them standing in their way. 

“Get off your horses, now!” Chanyeol shouts, but the soldiers only exchange confused glances with each other. “Or he dies,” the Rolfes adds for good measure. Baekhyun quickly translates the sentence, adding that he fears for his life. As soon as he finishes talking, the group of Maerg soldiers dismount. 

“Tell that forest dweller that we won’t do him any harm, we only want to take His Royal Highness back to the caste,” one of the soldiers speaks up and shows his empty palms. 

“None of you take a step, make one move in the direction of your sword and I will cut his throat.” Baekhyun translates to the soldiers this in their tongue, who remain frozen on the spot. Against his back. Baekhyun can feel Chanyeol’s heart hammering against his chest. With the hand that isn’t holding the knife, he taps Baekhyun lightly, signalling him that he’s ready. 

The knife is taken away from his throat and Chanyeol pushes him forward, running off as fast as he can. As on cue, the soldiers all start chasing him. Before they can even reach Baekhyun however, they walk right into their trap, which they had hidden under a layer of leaves. The net shoots up and catches all but one soldier, trapping them a few feet above the forest ground. The remaining soldier makes a run for his horse, but Baekhyun tackles him as he’s trying get on. 

“Your Highness, why are you doing this, let me go!” He cries out as Baekhyun pins him to the ground. 

“Chanyeol, get the excess rope from my bag!” shouts Baekhyun. Not long after, Chanyeol reappears with the rope in his hands, and together they tie the soldier to a tree. The man is now spitting insults at Baekhyun, how he is betraying his own kind and siding with the enemy. There is no doubt in his mind that the soldiers caught in the net are screaming the same words, but their voices overlap so much their words become unintelligible. 

It might be the case that some crafty soldiers will start to use their swords to cut the rope, which is why Chanyeol and Baekhyun take away any swords they can easily reach. The rope is thick with a sturdy core, so there is no doubt that even if there are any sharp objects left, it would take the soldiers ages to cut through the rope, at least long enough to reach the Master brewer. That leaves Baekhyun assured that they can continue the journey without any further interruption.


	7. Chanyeol IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, the smut at the end of the chapter is low key kind of gross. Not really bad, but a little bit. If it's not your thing feel free to skip it

With the soldiers trapped it would be a shame to leave their horses. Chanyeol picks the biggest one of the bunch and Baekhyun goes for the black stallion, praising the steed he won’t have to walk this journey on foot. 

“Tell me about your Gods,” asks Baekhyun as they ride in the direction of the dragon’s territory. 

“What would you like to know?” 

“The interesting parts,” Baekhyun replies with a wink. Chanyeol lets out a chuckle, his companion always has a witty answer ready. 

“There are four Gods we worship. The Goddess Hayshee is the one who created the sky and all its stars. In the beginning there was only darkness, no difference between night and day. So Hayshee started decorating the sky with stars to light it up, and added the sun as the biggest one. To make sure there was a passage of time. Then Byufil comes in, who thought that there was too much space and nothing to fill it up. From his creation came the earth. It is said that this cost him such a huge amount of effort and power that he cried, which is why water from the seas is salty.” 

“So the ground, the mountains and the sea was all his doing?” 

“Yes, it was all him. Byufil is also the one that keeps water in the river flowing. But Napeii looked upon this earth and found it terribly boring. She made the ground fertile enough to grow the massive forest and filled it with all types of animals. Lastly, Ajires made the perfect creation, us. Everyone that walks on the earth, eats its animals and fishes in its waters was created by him.” 

“Even the Maergs?” 

“Even the Maergs.” 

Baekhyun takes a deep breath and smiles. “That is really interesting, it all falls together if you think about it, how all the Gods kept building on each other’s creation.” 

There are flutters in Chanyeol’s belly and he fails to understand why. Maybe because Baekhyun takes a genuine interest in his Gods and attentively listens to what he has to say. Or maybe because of his beautiful smile. Ajires must have paid extra attention while making that smile. “It is. But we do what we must do to please the Gods. Now that I think of it, it has been a while since I prayed to Napeii.” 

“Let us do it then.” 

“Right now?” Chanyeol raises his eyebrows. Baekhyun dismounting is the reply he gets. 

“You have to kneel and put your hand on the bark of a tree,” Chanyeol says and puts his knees to the ground. Luckily it hasn’t rained in a while. Baekhyun follows his example and places his hand on the bark of the tree. 

“It does not matter which tree?” 

“No, they’re all Napeii’s creation. Now, repeat these words after me: Hear me Napeii, for I am thankful with what your creation has provided us. I will continue to protect the forest and do my best to prevent any unnecessary harm.” 

Baekhyun looks at him questionably. “Was that it?” 

“Not yet. Now that we have thanked Napeii you can pray to her, whether that be in silence or out loud. But your prayers will not always be answered.” 

Baekhyun is still looking at him like he does not fully comprehend. If he remembers correctly the Maergs do not actively worship any Gods, only their current ruler. He never prayed like Chanyeol and the other Rolfesi do on a regular basis. “Napeii, I pray to you that my companion, Baekhyun and I may find safe passage through the woods you created. And that the mighty dragon you placed in the forest will not burn us alive. Thank you.” With those words Chanyeol takes his hand off the tree and waits for Baekhyun to do the same.

“Dear Napeii. First off, I am sorry for what I and the other Maergs have done to your forest. But to be fair, it was not my idea. I ask of you that my uncle drinks the potion we give him so we can end this war and stop ruining your forest.” 

Chanyeol laughs and softly shakes his head. “That’s not exactly in her area of expertise. She is the Goddess of the forest. You can ask her something that has to do with the forest or the animals in it.” 

“Then I ask Napeii that the dragon will accept our gifts and lets us journey to the Master brewer without any further trouble. Thank you.” Baekhyun opens his eyes and looks at Chanyeol expectantly, who can only smile at how sincere the smaller man looked while praying. 

“Very well, hopefully Napeii heard our prayers and is willing to answer them.” 

As they approach the dragon’s territory, Chanyeol goes to hunt for an animal whilst Baekhyun sets up their tent. His hands are sweaty as he draws back the arrow on his bow. Though they have both prayed it still makes him nervous to voluntarily encounter the dragon once again. It might not even hear them out and burn them where they stand. His arrow misses the target completely. A few more tries and he has caught two hares. One for the dragon and one for themselves. 

The tent has been fully set up as he returns, Baekhyun has truly mastered the skill of doing so. One time the tent even collapsed on them in the middle of the night. Throughout their journey, the prince made quick progress and now the pair can sleep through the night without the tent falling down. There is a pile of wood gathered in front of the tent, starting a fire is something Baekhyun still struggles with. 

Once the wood is a light and the hare has roasted enough, Chanyeol goes to sit down next to Baekhyun. He nibbles on his portion of the meat, seemingly apprehensive to face the dragon as well. 

“What if we die. What will come of our people?” Baekhyun wonders out loud. It is something that Chanyeol would rather not imagine, but the possibility is there. 

“Your brother will finish what we started, I hope. And if we die together, we will go to Syrcil together.” 

“Syrcil, what is that?” 

“It’s where we go when we die. An endless forest, where the sun always shines, nobody grows hungry or sad. There is music and dancing and you’ll be reunited with the loved ones you lost along the way.” 

Baekhyun’s eyebrows crease together. “But I do not believe in your Gods, will they not reject me?” 

“I will put in a good word for you.” 

Chanyeol undoubtedly slept less than an hour this night. The nerves are taking a toll on him. Never before has he been afraid to die, for when he does he can see his mother again in Sycril. Now there rests a heavy burden on his as well as Baekhyun’s shoulders to reach the Master brewer.

“You need not worry about encountering the dragon during daylight, the one we encountered is nocturnal,” Baekhyun tells him cheerfully as they ride into the dragon’s territory. 

“If you’ve said this before we went to bed I could have actually slept,” Chanyeol sulks, barely being able to keep his eyes open. 

“My apologies. If you must know, I slept very well last night.” The stupid grin on Baekhyun face would have infuriated Chanyeol at the beginning of their journey together, but now all he can do is shake his head. Were they not on such an important journey he’d have suggested other ways to keep Baekhyun’s mouth occupied.

They ride on, deeper and deeper into the dragon’s territory. It will be another full day before they reach the house of the Master brewer. As they get ready to make camp, Chanyeol almost falls off his horse from exhaustion. 

“I suggest that I stay up. So when the dragon comes I can at least make an attempt to talk to him, instead of him roasting us alive while we sleep.” Chanyeol agrees easily as he goes to lie down, falling in a deep slumber almost immediately.

“Chanyeol.” 

“Hmmm.” He doesn’t want to open his eyes in fear of what he might see. 

“Get up,” Baekhyun hisses, the urgency in his voice makes Chanyeol sit up straight. Right in front of him is the dragon once again, looking possibly even more threatening than the last time. 

“Give me one reason I should not burn you.” 

Hastily, Baekhyun opens the bags they brought with them to reveal the golden candleholders and the hare that Chanyeol caught two days ago. “We brought you something in hopes that you might forgive us for crossing your part of the woods. Also, we would like to travel to the Master brewer that resides close by.” 

The dragon shifts and his eyes fall on the candleholders shimmering in the moonlight. The Maergs are known for their skill in crafting intricate metal pieces, and the candleholders are no exception. “Where did you get these?” The beast asks Baekhyun, who slowly pushes the objects further in his direction.

“They are from Royal Maerg palace. Each one of the candleholders has been crafted by a well-renewed expert. Only fitting for a dragon like you.” 

“Spare me your flattery,” the dragon replies, his voice so low that Chanyeol can feel it vibrating in his chest. “You have not kept your word, which is something I unfortunately have come to expect from you people. Maergs and Rolfesi alike. But you have brought me gifts that put everything I have received so far to shame. I have no choice but to accept, for I would very much like to add these to my collection.” The dragon closes his big claws around the pile of candleholders, not even paying any mind to the hare. 

“If I ever see your faces again, I expect something even more beautiful than the candleholders. Also me letting you two pass does not mean that this will become a road where everyone can come and go as they please.” 

“It won’t, we will tell everyone that they must go around your territory.” This time, Chanyeol vows to keep his word. Everyone he knows will know of the territory and not to enter it unless they have something valuable to offer and a good reason to be there. 

With the treasure enclosed in his claws, the dragon flies away, towards the night sky. From both exhaustion and relief, Chanyeol lets himself fall on the leaf-covered ground, laughing like a maniac. “We did it, Baekhyun. We survived the dragon encounter once again. Napeii heard us. I might start to believe myself to be invincible.” 

Baekhyun goes to gently lie down next to him, facing his direction. “Do not get ahead of yourself. We have yet to meet the Master brewer. Who knows what will happen.” 

Chanyeol waves his hand in front of Baekhyun’s face in dismissal. “Save those worries for later. Now, let’s sleep.” He doesn’t care that they are lying on the forest floor and pulls Baekhyun closer to him for much needed warmth. 

“Come on you big oaf, we have to get inside the tent. Who knows what other creatures roam around here besides the dragon,” says Baekhyun, but he doesn’t make an attempt to get up himself. It almost seems as though he is moving closer to Chanyeol, but that could be his tired mind playing tricks on him.

In the end neither of them get up and the next morning they have not been eaten or attacked by a wild beast. Though Chanyeol’s back hurts from sleeping on the ground. Baekhyun is still lying nestled up against him. He gently shakes the Maerg awake. 

“I cannot believe both of us were too lazy to move a couple of steps towards the tent. We set the thing up for nothing. But I will not be doing it again, my back is killing me and my hair smells like mud.” 

“Is sleeping on the ground not to your taste, Your Highness?” 

Baekhyun goes to stand next to a tree and puts his hand on it. “What are you doing?” Asks Chanyeol as Baekhyun seems to be in deep concentration.

“Do not interrupt me, I am praying to Napeii that a big branch will fall on your head.” 

“So dramatic. All because of an innocent jape.” 

Baekhyun moves away from the tree and walks close to Chanyeol. “Maybe I was praying for something else, but I will never tell,” he whispers before continuing on his merry way. 

“You’re going in the wrong direction!” Chanyeol yells as Baekhyun has already moved several feet away. The Maerg turns around and Chanyeol chuckles at his exaggerated expression of annoyance. 

“You could have said that earlier.” Baekhyun smacks Chanyeol on the back of his head, who is surprised the other can even reach that high. He does not say that however, snickering to himself like he just came up with the funniest joke. 

“What are you laughing about?” 

“You’ve got your secrets, I’ve got mine.” 

“Fair enough.” 

They continue this playful pestering back and forth until Chanyeol spots the cabin of the Master brewer out of the corner of his eye. There is smoke coming from the chimney. The cabin itself looks very simple, made completely out of wood except for the straw roof. 

“We’re here,” Chanyeol announces and cocks his head in the direction of the cabin. With the sight of the cabin, uncertainty creeps up on him. There is a reason why this Master brewer chose to reside in a part of the woods fiercely protected by a dragon. It is because she wanted nothing to do with the war. Now they are asking her to get involved. 

The pair dismount and bind their horses to the tree next to the cabin. The Master brewer must have heard them coming because the door of the cabin swings open before either of them even had the opportunity to knock. 

“What is it you want?” She demands as her pale, purple eyes go from Chanyeol to Baekhyun. “A Maerg and a Rolfes not trying to bash each other’s heads in, I must admit it has been a while since I’ve seen anything like it.” The Master brewer is slight of frame, only a few inches shorter than Chanyeol himself. Her hair is mossy green, falling just short of her shoulders. It is that Chanyeol knows that she is not the youngest any more, otherwise age does not show on her face. There must be a potion for that too. 

“My name is Chanyeol, this is Baekhyun. Could we come in, Master Aishee?” 

“Depends,” comes her short answer. 

“We came here to ask you to make a potion that can change someone’s appearance. We will pay you in gold.” Baekhyun opens his bag to show the gold coins he brought with him. All though the face of King Vennhir is imprinted on them, they can be melted and still be worth a lot. 

“I have no interest in gold, but rather the reason why you ask this of me.” She steps outside of the cabin and approaches them. “If you lie to me you can forget this request all together. And I know when you are lying.” 

“The truth is, we want this potion in order to get rid of my uncle, King Vennhir. This way we leave no body and the King will spend the rest of his days as a poor miner. His daughter is very intelligent and ambitious. She had pleaded for peace with the Rolfesi for a long time. Queen Yhhra has written down terms for peace and if we get rid of the King, my cousin will certainly accept them, with that ending the war.” 

Aishee narrows her eyes. “So your plan to change King Vennhir into a miner to let his eldest daughter ascend?” 

Both of them nod.

In a split second, her whole demeanour changes, “I would not be allowed into Sycril if I denied you such a request. I’ve been praying to the Gods to end this war for ages and they have sent you in the most desperate of times.” She pushes them towards the cabin and closes the door behind them. Inside it is warm and the air smells of spice. Most of the light comes from the windows, there are only a handful of small candles burning. Above the fire a kettle is almost boiling over. Aishee rushes towards it to take the lid off. 

“Have you brought the hair of the person you wish King Vennhir to change into?” She asks while not taking her eyes of the kettle. Once it is no longer boiling over, she takes it from the fireplace and sets it atop the stone table in the middle of the room. Baekhyun rummages through his bag to retrieve the bottle with the strands of hair from the miner Beomun had chosen. It is of a man around the King’s age, dying of grey fever. He had no family that knew of this. The way Beomun acquired this information left questions in Chanyeol’s mind. Still, because he is so close to death, there would be no two versions of the miner. Once he succumbed to the grey fever they would simply replace him with the King, now permanently transformed into his new body. 

Aishee takes the bottle from Baekhyun’s and inspects the hair. “That should be enough.” She starts moving around the cabin so rapidly that Chanyeol’s eyes tire from following her. A bottle here, some strange herbs there, she is so trained that she barely has to look for them. 

“One of you go outside and fetch me some bark of a Tettle tree. It’s the one that curves around itself, there is one only a few feet from the cabin.” With ‘one of you’ she means Chanyeol, because he is the one she hands a knife to. 

He only knows the Tettle tree by name, it does not grow at the part of the forest where he has lived his whole life. Thanks to Aishee’s description it isn’t hard to find, With his knife, Chanyeol cuts off a part of the bark, seemingly not for the first time. All over the tree there are pieces of bark missing. 

Baekhyun is now seated in the corner of the cabin with a cup of steaming liquid in his hand. It turns out that the liquid in the kettle was tea. Chanyeol hands the bark over to Aishee who throws it in a pot. He stands on his tippy toes to take a peek at the potion in the pot. 

“Looking over my shoulder is not helping it get finished faster,” Aishee says with light irritation in her voice. “It takes about half a day for the potion to brew and I would like to have you two out of my hair as much as possible.” She points them in the direction of a room with a perfectly made bed after handing Chanyeol a cup of tea as well. 

“I’ll give a sign once I’m finished.” She says and closes the door. The room is small but tidy, it has the same spicy smell as the rest of the cabin. 

“That went well,” Chanyeol concludes. Up until now their plan has worked. They managed to trap the soldiers, got past the dragon and now the Master brewer is making the potion they intend to use. He can’t help but feel a little euphoric from it all. With a content smile he goes to lie down on the bed. Baekhyun settles next to him, making them lie shoulder to shoulder.

“It did. I cannot believe it is almost over. After Aishee is ready, all we need to do is make the King drink the potion.” 

“When you say it like that, it sounds easy.” 

“It will be, my uncle isn’t one to turn down a glass of wine.” 

“Is that what you truly believe or are you saying that to calm yourself down?” 

Baekhyun lets out a dry chuckle. “Once again you see right through me. Truthfully I am terrified. Maybe a little less so now that we have faced a dragon twice.” 

“Do you think the people will mourn him?” Chanyeol wonders out loud. 

“For a lot of people, he is a villain in their eyes. Having torn families apart by waging this useless war. There are a few people here and there that genuinely want the Rolfesi dead and their forest for themselves, but those are a rare find. It might be so that the people will show respect for their dead King, but I doubt them to be truly saddened by his passing.” 

Chanyeol hums, but something uneasy settles in his chest knowing that their journey is close to an end.

“What will you do once everything is done? Will you return home?” Baekhyun sits up somewhat to look at Chanyeol, who dares not look back, keeping his eyes trained on the wooden ceiling. 

“My home has been burned down. For years I have moved camp with my fellow soldiers, but I would not call any of these places home. If I return I would not know where to go.” 

“You have been promised to Prince Kalii, which means that his castle would become your home.” 

“If I take up the offer that is. I still have my doubts.” All of those doubts have to do with the prince lying next to him. “What about you? Will you continue to live in the palace in the mountains?” 

“Though it cannot be compared to your situation, I must admit that I never felt truly at home there. It is big and luxurious, yes, but because of my uncle we constantly have to walk on egg shells. There is no one there for me except my brother, who is busy with his own family most days. But it is the place I must return to.” 

“It seems to me that after this we are both lost.” 

“It may be that a peace can bring forth a home for us.” 

“Let’s hope that,” Chanyeol replies. There is something else on the tip of his tongue, but he dare not speak it. 

On the other side of the door, there is a lot of noise. Chanyeol wishes he could sit and watch the process of creating a potion, but he doesn’t want to intrude. It is a complicated process and him or Baekhyun accidently bumping into something could potentially ruin hours of work. At some point it even smells like the house is burning down, but he doesn’t hear a distressed call from Aishee so he assumes it is supposed to be like this. 

Baekhyun and him chatter about anything and everything to fill up the time. It is when he realises that there is still so much to learn about the smaller man and about Maergs in general. At some point Baekhyun can’t sit still anymore and opens the window. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I am getting awfully bored of just waiting. Shall we take a walk outside?” Baekhyun already has one leg swung over the windowsill before Chanyeol can even produce an answer. He climbs after Baekhyun, following him in whatever direction he decides to go. Until out of the corner of his eye he spots a bush that he is eager to show his friend. So he grabs him by his upper arm and guides him towards it.

“This bush has some of the most delicious berries. My mother used to give them to me as a reward for clearing my plate,” he plucks some berries and hands them over to Baekhyun. “You ought to try one, you will love it.” Chanyeol himself plops a handful into his mouth, the berries bursting with sweet flavour. 

Baekhyun’s eyes widen as he chews on the berry that he was offered. “You told the undeniable truth, these are delightful!” He exclaims happily. Around them, Chanyeol points out some trees he is familiar with, but they stay in close proximity to the bush and eat their bellies full. 

“You have something here,” Chanyeol snorts and points at his own face to indicate where. “No the other side.” Baekhyun misses the mark completely. He reaches out to the smaller man and gently takes the remnant of a berry off Baekhyun’s beautiful face. Not being one to waste food, he lifts it to his own mouth. Baekhyun’s eyes are fixated on him, so he makes a show of it, slowly putting his finger to his lips. He can hear Baekhyun take a deep, shuddering breath. 

“Baekhyun, Chanyeol! I finished your potion, you best not have left already!” Comes a scream from the cabin a few feet away. The door opens and out stumbles Aishee, her hair in complete disarray and waving a flask with a brown liquid in front of her face. She spots them standing next to the bush and motions at them to come in. 

Back inside the cabin, Aishee proudly presents them the potion and Baekhyun in return hands her the golden coins. She does not look particularly excited to be receiving gold, as almost anyone else would, but she did inform them earlier that she was not after gold. Still she accepts the coins. “I might be able to use them in the foreseeable future.” She stores them away in one of the many drawers. 

“There are some instructions that come with the usage of this potion, I want the both of you to listen carefully.” The pair nods dutifully. 

“As you can see, the flask is filled to the brim, but you need only use four drops to fully transform someone. If you use any more it will result in deformation or in a severe case even death. The transformation will not be immediate, it will take a couple of minutes. There is no pain in the transition, often times the person who drinks the potion doesn’t notice it until they properly look at themselves. Do you have any questions?” 

Neither could think of any, so after saying their thanks to Aishee they ride back towards the mountains, the very precious flask well hidden. They make haste on their way back, before he knows it they stumble upon the trap, the net cut open and the soldiers nowhere to be seen. Chanyeol hopes that they went right back to the mountains instead of following them in the direction of the dragon’s territory, or the whole thing would have been for nothing. If they got back to the palace, he wonders what they told King Vennhir. Baekhyun attacked one of the soldiers, it can’t be a positive tale.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to say to your uncle once he finds out we have returned?” 

“At this point I have told him so many lies that one more would not matter. I will think of something. It does not matter much anyway, the fool is drunken more so than he is sober. I doubt he can even think clearly,” Baekhyun huffs. 

“Are you not afraid of what he might do?” 

“Not at all. He has never laid a hand on family. For all his flaws, I must admit that even drunk he never gets aggressive, only angry,” Baekhyun explains in a light tone, but Chanyeol notes that he fidgets with the reins. 

“It’s all right to be nervous. Poisoning your uncle is not something you do every day.” 

“I know. But we must focus on sneaking back into the castle first.” That seems to be the end of that conversation as they near the river which the sewer is connected to. The smell is just as bad as the last time, but Chanyeol doesn’t mind it as much as he did previously. Facing a deadly dragon has certainly put things in perspective. In order not to drip all over Baekhyun’s floor, they rid themselves of their outer layer of clothing before entering his room. 

“You can go bathe first, I have to find Beomun to show him this.” Baekhyun holds up the potion triumphantly. 

“Do you mind me sleeping here?” It is one thing to share the bed in the guest room, but these are Baekhyun’s own chambers. 

“Certainly not! We have shared a bed once before and I would like to again. You provide much needed warmth I need during the night. Now, I have got to be on my way, but I will be back in a whim.” Baekhyun lightly squeezes his arm before speed walking out of the room. 

After bathing in Baekhyun’s luxurious bathtub, which could easily be classified as a whole bathhouse, he goes to lay between the silky sheets. Right after he put his head on the pillow Baekhyun opens the door. 

“What did your brother say?” 

“That I smelled horrible. And also that he was elated to hear that our mission was a success.” 

“I do smell you all the way from here, so I have to agree with him on that.” 

Baekhyun stomps towards the bed and moves as if he’s going to jump on top of Chanyeol. When he quickly hides himself underneath the sheets Baekhyun bursts out laughing. “I jest, I jest. I prefer the sheets to be clean. If you fall asleep while I bathe I will wake you,” he warns and with that closes the bathroom door behind him. 

Chanyeol does end up falling asleep because he only remembers closing his eyes for a second when Baekhyun shakes him awake. “Move over please,” a now flowery smelling Baekhyun asks. They shuffle some until they find a position in which both of them are comfortable. 

“I do admit that I am nervous for what tomorrow has in store for me. It is certain that my uncle must have gotten word that you and I snuck out. Hopefully he is still willing to accept a cup of wine from me, but I doubt that drunk will ever refuse any alcohol.” 

Chanyeol strokes his hand over Baekhyun’s tense back. “In any case, Beomun will be with you, right?” 

“Yes, for that I am relieved.” 

Baekhyun shifts closer to Chanyeol. Though he is tired from their long journey and had the intention of going to sleep right after Baekhyun returned, his cock has other ideas. 

“But there is no way I can fall asleep now,” Baekhyun says. Guess Chanyeol is not going to sleep after all. 

“Is there something that helps you sleep?” 

“Nothing comes to mind,” Baekhyun replies, turning over so that there are faces close to each other. 

“There is something I used to do with a female friend of mine that helped put her to sleep, maybe it will work on you.” 

“And what was that?” 

“Finger her.” Chanyeol can feel his cheeks heat up at his own words. She always told him that it worked wonders. It might not help him at all but he’ll use any excuse to have sex with Baekhyun again.

“It’s worth a try. Even if it doesn’t put me to sleep I’ll enjoy it nevertheless.” Baekhyun closes the distance between their faces and slants his lips over Chanyeol’s. The kiss is slow, not nearly as urgent as the ones they shared in the lake. 

“I’m going to get a bottle of oil,” Chanyeol says once they’ve broken apart. He spotted one in the bathing area earlier but hadn’t expected to make use of it so soon. When he returns, Baekhyun is already lying on his side. Chanyeol crawls into the bed and goes to lay behind him. He takes off Baekhyun’s undergarment and takes an appreciative look at the swell of his arse. It looks so soft and plump, Chanyeol can’t help but squeeze the cheeks with both hands. Baekhyun hisses and pushes his behind further into Chanyeol’s hands, obviously enjoying what he’s doing. It spurs Chanyeol on and he starts gently massaging the flesh. 

With one hand he opens the bottle of oil and coats his fingers with it. He warms up the substance between his fingers before slowly pushing in. Baekhyun lets out a content sigh and Chanyeol starts moving the digit around. All with utmost care and patience. After he’s made enough room he adds another one, wiggling them around in the tight heat. He ever so slowly works Baekhyun open, peppering soft kisses along his neck and shoulders. 

It takes a few tries until he managed to find the bundle of nerves inside of Baekhyun. He pushes against it with the tips of his fingers, only adding pressure but not thrusting too deep. This is only to put Baekhyun to sleep, not arouse him. The smaller man moans and Chanyeol suspects that he has done just that. With his free hand he finds that Baekhyun’s member is hard and curving up against his belly. 

“This isn’t quite putting me to sleep,” Baekhyun jests before swiftly adding, “Maybe your cock will help.” He reaches behind him to grab a hold of Chanyeol’s hardened member. He had purposely kept a distance from the other man so it wouldn’t be noticeable. Usually when he’s this tired it’s difficult to get aroused, but the tightness surrounding his fingers and the sounds Baekhyun is had his cock stir to life in no time. 

His fingers slide out of Baekhyun’s tight heat and make place for his slicked up cock. Even after stretching, Baekhyun’s walls are incredibly tight.

“You make me feel so full, feels so good,” Baekhyun blabbers.

“You take me so well,” Chanyeol responds as he bottoms out. It’s amazing to see how much Baekhyun’s small body can take. “Can I move?” He asks, wanting to be certain that he’s not causing the other man any pain. 

“Yes.” 

Chanyeol decides on slow, deep thrusts, hooking Baekhyun’s upper leg over his own. He holds Baekhyun’s hips as his cock moves in and out of the tight heat. Baekhyun groans and moans whenever he hits the bundle of nerves deep inside of him. After a while he starts moving his hips in time with Chanyeol’s trusts, lazily rocking together. The slide of his cock against Baekhyun’s velvety walls is amazing, he wishes they could continue this forever. 

When Baekhyun cranes his neck and puckers his lips, Chanyeol catches on immediately. The smaller man pries his lips over and licks the roof of Chanyeol’s mouth before exploring further. Whereas Chanyeol would usually pick up the pace by now, he keeps his thrust leisurely, but angled in a way that give Baekhyun the ultimate pleasure. Said man breaks off the kiss and throws his head back against Chanyeol’s shoulders. He takes that opportunity to play with Baekhyun’s nipples like he would with a woman, though they feel very different, it gives him a similar reaction. They harden under his touch and make Baekhyun’s eyes roll to the back of his head.

If there is someone in the room next to them, there is no doubt they must have heard them by now. Baekhyun is vocal in his appreciation, but so is Chanyeol. Whenever Baekhyun squeezes his rim tight he can’t help but let a moan spill past his lips. Before he knows it, he’s releasing himself inside of Baekhyun, filling up his hole with his cum. He should have given a warning but the tiredness makes everything feel so different, he hadn’t even realised he was so close. Baekhyun, however, doesn’t seem to mind and continues rocking himself on Chanyeol’s softening cock. It only takes Chanyeol a few tugs before he can feel Baekhyun spilling on his hand. 

He is about to slide out when Baekhyun grabs him by the hips. “Don’t, please stay like this. The fullness will lull me right to sleep.” So Chanyeol does, keeping his member buried inside Baekhyun still. Baekhyun wiggles some to get in a more comfortable position. If he wasn’t so sleepy, Chanyeol would have taken the smaller man again in a heartbeat. The warm walls surrounding his member are comforting somehow, he finds himself unable to keep his eyes open for much longer. He quickly wipes his dirtied hand on the sheets somewhere behind him and lets the tiredness overtake him. 

It’s early morning when Chanyeol awakens. The candles that were left on have long since burnt out, this time the sun rays light up the room. Baekhyun has moved somewhat during the night, but his hole is still stuffed with Chanyeol’s cock, which has now stirred back to life. He’s painfully hard and wants nothing more than fuck Baekhyun deep into the mattress, but he should wake Baekhyun first. Which he does by playfully biting his earlobe and giving his arse a good smack. The smaller man stirs awake, yawning before he realises what position they’re in. 

“What a pleasant morning surprise,” he says and starts slowly circling his hips. Now that he is no longer tired, Chanyeol doesn’t hold back and rams cock deeper inside of Baekhyun, still slick with the oil and cum from the night before. Baekhyun opens his mouth in a silent scream and urges him to continue. It’s rough and quick, Chanyeol moving in and out of Baekhyun at a rapid pace, holding his hips so tight that he’ll probably leave bruises. When he thinks that he might be too rough, Baekhyun places his hand over Chanyeol’s and presses down even harder. He bites Baekhyun’s shoulder as he cums, the smaller man following not too long after. 

They wash themselves in the sizable bathtub in Baekhyun’s bathing area. Baekhyun is quick to open the windows to chase away the smell of their activities. Mere moments after they have finished dressing, there is a knock on the door. Baekhyun opens it in case it might be a guard, but it’s Beomun with the bottle of wine in his hand. 

“Are you ready?” Beomun asks Baekhyun.

“Yes.” 

“Then, let’s go face our uncle.”


	8. Baekhyun IV

According to Beomun, the King has become fond of drinking wine as of late, which gives them the perfect opportunity to slip the poison inside a bottle and re-seal it after. Though his uncle has grown wary and distrusting over the years, family is the exception. When there is no common people to advice or discussions about war, King Vennhir can be found drinking alone in his chambers. 

“Thank you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says before they leave for his uncle’s chambers. Chanyeol smiles at him, which makes Baekhyun’s tummy flutter. Which is trouble for later, now he needs to focus on getting the King to drink the wine. 

“Be careful,” Chanyeol whispers so only he can hear. “Good luck the two of you, I’ll pray for you to succeed,” he says, louder this time. Beomun nods and off they go. 

It is still early morning, Baekhyun doubts whether the King has even bathed yet. Which is all the better, they need to catch him before any servants are able to enter the room. Beomun keeps the bottle hidden underneath his wider tunic, so they won’t be spotted with the object by any palace guards. The walk to the King’s chamber’s feels like an entire journey on itself. Baekhyun’s anxiety grows with every step, he could end up in the cells at the depths of the mountains, or worse, publicly executed. For the sake of their Kingdom, Chanyeol, his brother and the heirs to the throne, they have to succeed. 

Baekhyun’s hands are clammy as he knocks on King Vennhir’s door. A barely awake King opens the door, with no servants in sight. It is very early after all. 

“What could you possible want at this hour?” The King grumbles, turning his back on them. Beomun takes that as opportunity to place their wine bottle amongst the others on the table pushed against the wall. 

“Your Majesty, we would like to speak with you in private about a certain matter,” says Baekhyun as the puts the lock on the door to prevent any servants from bursting in. 

“Before we start, would you like some wine?” Beomun holds up their bottle, neatly resealed to avoid any suspicion. King Vennhir eyes the bottle for a moment before flopping down on the bed.

“I have just awoken. So of course I’d like some wine! Pour me some of the one your holding,” he instructs Beomun, who of course obliges. The King used to be a slender man, admired across the mountains for his beauty. His excessive drinking, however, changed that. He has grown quite plump over the years, his belly sticking out against the fabric of his nightgown. The drinking has not only changed his appearance, but his behaviour as well. After being in his cups, he is usually angry at everything and everyone. Mornings is where he’s his most reasonable still. 

Wordlessly, Beomun hands their uncle his cup of wine, who downs it all in one gulp. “More,” the King demands, sticking out his cup for Beomun to refill. It will take some time for the potion to take effect, yet Baekhyun stays alert for any changes.   
“Now Baekhyun, explain to me why you snuck out of the castle and trapped my soldiers who were trying to save you from that damned Rolfes’ grasp.” Unfortunately, the wine did not make his uncle forget this. 

“If I am being honest, I wanted to see the dragon again. I had asked Chanyeol to accompany me. I knew you would not let me, so I snuck out.” 

The King’s nostrils flare after hearing that Baekhyun once again defied him. “And there is a reason for that! Dragons are dangerous, savage beasts. You could have gotten killed. And that Rolfes is not to be trusted as well.” 

“He has been nothing but kind and helpful, yet all you show him is hostility. Remember that he is an envoy sent by Queen Yhhra, not someone that has come here to ruin you. What would it take for you to reconsider your stance on the peace with the Rolfesi?” Baekhyun knows his attempts to reason with the King to be futile, but he must keep him busy in order to keep track of the transformation.

“Nothing, there is not a thing in the world that will have me make peace with those walking trees!” He bristles with anger. It solidifies their morbid decision. As the King continues to blabber on, his hair starts to pale while his skin loses its colour. The transformation happens within minutes, until a bleak looking miner stands in front of them. He has deep sunken eyes and a narrow, pointy nose. The King’s nightgown is far too big now, with the miner’s bony structure. 

“I’ll get the guards.” Baekhyun opens the door and runs out, his eyes wide in pretend shock at what he just saw. He stumbles upon the first guard he spots and clings to him as if his life depends on it. 

“You have to help us, there is an intruder in the castle who thinks he is the King. We found him just now, you have to arrest him!” 

“Of course, Your Highness, take me to him.” 

They find Beomun attempting to restrain the King. He’s yelling at Beomun, who does a good job pretending to be confused. Baekhyun points at the miner. “There he is, the lunatic who claims he is your King!” 

King Vennhir spots Baekhyun alongside the guard, making him even more outraged than he already is. It is obvious that he does not understand why they are treating him this way, since he has yet to see a reflection of his new appearance. The guard aids Beomun and comprehends him immediately, escorting the furious man towards the cells in the dungeon of the castle. 

“I am your King, let me go you buffoons!” King Vennhir directs his attention to Baekhyun and Beomun. “Why are you just standing there, tell the guards to stand down!” He screams so loud that it makes his face turn red. If he gets any angrier his eyes might even pop out. 

“You might have fooled yourself, but we can see that you are not our King,” Baekhyun replies in all calmness. The look on the King’s face once he’s realised that his own nephews did this to him is priceless. At the tumult, more and more guards start pouring in and restraining the thrashing King. Now that all of their attention is directed elsewhere, Baekhyun smiles to his uncle, whose gaze is still on him as he is dragged away. He mouths ‘farewell’ as the final nail in the coffin.

“I’ll have your heads! All of you! Don’t think you’ll be spared because you’re family!” The threats don’t do much to scare Baekhyun, who only feels satisfaction now that their plan has succeeded. 

Beomun comes to stand next to him once their uncle is gone from their sight, though his screaming can still be heard in the distance. “What do you think they will do to him? Now that the King is gone, he might be the most obvious suspect,” His brother asks.

“If you testify before our new Queen that you never saw him entering the chambers, he’ll be released of that suspicion, get a few lashes and they’ll send him to the mines. There is no reason not to believe you.” 

“What if they pin it on Chanyeol?” 

“I’ll make sure they won’t. Besides, no one saw him near the King’s chambers during all of this. They’ll probably pin it on someone else.” It will likely be some poor servant, which makes him feel a little ill. It has to be done, for the good of their Kingdom as well as the Rolfesi, for their sake as well as the many generations after them. 

Chanyeol envelopes him in a bone crushing hug once he returns. “Did everything go as planned?” 

“Yes, the King is no more. His oldest daughter will ascend in a few days’ time, when the sun is at its peak. After that is completed she will agree on the peace terms, of that I am certain. She was always in disagreement with her father on how our relations with the Rolfesi should be.” 

“That is good to hear.” Chanyeol smiles in relief and Baekhyun embraces him once more, just because he can. It feels good to have his cheeks pressed against Chanyeol’s warm yet firm chest. 

Every available person searches high and low for the King, who of course is nowhere to be found. After a couple of days and still no body, King Vennhir is declared as good as dead. His daughter announces a day of grievance, but the official funeral never comes. Not many people shed a tear for their lost King, Baekhyun can see that even his cousin is playing it up for the people as she addresses the crowd standing beneath the balcony of the palace. He does as well, trying his hardest to produce some tears. 

For all their prosperity, there is still an obstacle to overcome, realises Baekhyun. His cousin Cicil knows that Baekhyun and Beomun were in the King’s chambers around the time he disappeared. It is to no surprise that she demands both his and Chanyeol’s audience quickly after the day of grievance.   
A guard brings them to the throne room where the Princess, yet to be crowned Queen, has made herself comfortable on the throne. Beomun is there already, not appearing as level headed as he usually is. 

Cicil smiles as she takes note their presence and personally hands Chanyeol a piece of parchment with the Royal seal on it. 

“Open it.” Chanyeol does. From what Baekhyun can see, it looks to be an official invite to her coronation in a few days. 

“This is the first step in bettering the relations between our Kingdoms. Let me right the wrongs my father made.” She has the same eyes as her father, but where his dark brown ones had grown harsh, hers are warm and kind. They remind him of his mother’s eyes, drooping down slightly as well. Baekhyun is convinced she’ll make an exceptional Queen.

Chanyeol thanks her, bowing deeply, his gaze falling to the floor. Baekhyun taps him on the shoulder mid-bow. “You should keep your eyes trained on the person your bowing to, averting your gaze is considered an insult.” Though Baekhyun is sure that the crown princess would understand that a Rolfes has little knowledge of their rules. Chanyeol makes sure that he looks at the Princess until he finished bowing. 

It is than that here smile melts away and Cicil dons a more serious expression.   
“I must say, if I hadn’t paid such good attention whilst the Rolfesi Queen explained about potions and all the things they could do all those years ago, I would have never found out what you three did,” she says, in the most calm voice. Baekhyun feels anything but calm. A million things go through his head at the same time, the dread for execution being the most prominent one, but none he vocalizes. 

In the end it is the crown princess who speaks up again. “What you did is considered high treason and punishable by death, which I was intending on giving you for what you did to my father. But once I had given it some consideration and took in account how his ruling affected us and the people we once were one with, it suddenly did not seem like such a terrible decision. You did what should have been done long ago, and your plan even gave him the mercy of living out his life, all be it in the mines.” 

Baekhyun has to hold on to Chanyeol in an effort not to collapse. Relief washes over him and he can feel his whole body relax. When he looks over at Chanyeol, the other stares at the crown princess in wide eyed amazement. 

“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you find out?” asks Chanyeol, who obviously can’t supress his curiosity. There is something so endearing about it, Baekhyun can’t help but smile. 

“Don’t be so quick to call me ‘Your Majesty’, I’m yet to be crowned Queen. Your Highness is fine,” The crown princess responds in a light tone. 

“The guard told me what he saw, that it was Beomun and Baekhyun that were the ones to discover the intruder. And after you two left the room the King was never seen again. I know there exists a potion that transforms once appearance onto that of someone else. It was not difficult for me to put the two together, considering that you and Baekhyun seem awfully close,” she explains. Baekhyun can feel his cheeks heating up after hearing the crown princess admit that she knows that there is something between him and Chanyeol. It appears as though she doesn’t mind, so Baekhyun refrains from objecting to it. 

“Oh, and Baekhyun, I’ll send a tailor to your chambers so she can take Chanyeol’s measurements for the crowning ceremony.” Baekhyun understood what she meant by that, they should move from Chanyeol’s guest room to his chambers. 

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Chanyeol says and he bows again, correctly this time. 

“My pleasure, you may take your leave.” 

They do, walking out of the massive throne room. Before Beomun can enter his own room, Baekhyun stops him. Chanyeol looks between the two of them and nods, entering Baekhyun’s chambers alone. 

“Did you tell our cousin about Chanyeol and I sleeping in the same room?” 

“My apologies, I did not know you wanted that to remain only between the two of us. I have not told anyone else besides the crown princess. She actually appeared to be pleased with that idea. Finally there is someone that has captured your heart.” 

Baekhyun is about to protest but his brother shoots him a look that indicates that he won’t believe whatever his rebuttal is anyways. “Chanyeol will return to his home once crowning ceremony is over with. I doubt that after that day I’ll ever see him again.” 

“You wouldn’t be the Baekhyun I know without finding a way to figure it out. I have faith in you. Your marriage can be a staple for the new and improved relations between Maergs and Rolfesi.”

“Who said anything about marriage?” Baekhyun sputters. 

“Think about it,” Beomun says cryptically before entering his room, leaving Baekhyun to stare bewildered at the wooden door. He hadn’t realised that Chanyeol is the first person he has become this close to in a long time. Not only did he find Chanyeol desirable, he has without a doubt grown fond of him through the course of their journey. Marriage is not something he had given any thought, but he does remember him being betrothed to Queen Yhhra’s youngest son. It would be in Chanyeol’s better interest to marry him instead of Baekhyun, who is not only a Maerg, but doesn’t hold any significant position of power despite being a prince. He’s not an advisor, he’s just there, the second son of the late King’s younger brother. 

His brooding is interrupted by the tailor the crown princess sent for them tapping him on the shoulder, probably wondering why he’s having a stare down with a wall. 

“Your Highness, may I enter your chambers?” 

“Of course,” Baekhyun responds and holds the door open for her. She bows and steps inside, where Chanyeol is patiently waiting. The tailor takes Chanyeol’s measurements whilst Baekhyun watches. There is no doubt in his mind that the Rolfes will look dashing in whatever the tailor has in mind for him. Baekhyun’s outfit has also yet to be made as well, but they need not take his measurements for it, seeing as he has grown neither in height nor in width. 

After the tailor steps down from the chair she needed to reach the top of Chanyeol’s head, her work is finished. Now it’s the two of them in Baekhyun’s chambers, with a fire crackling in the background. 

Baekhyun, being tired of their eventful day, lets himself ungraciously fall on his bed. Chanyeol is swift to join him, placing his head on Baekhyun’s chest which make his long legs dangle off the bed. He plays with some of locks of Chanyeol’s dark brown hair. The amount of times he has received this type of affection from anyone is rare, he finds himself enjoying the weight of Chanyeol’s head against his chest. 

“I like your almost Queen already. I mean, she could have killed us, but instead she invited me to the crowning ceremony and made sure I can wear something tailored to my size,” Chanyeol says with so much enthusiasm. It sometimes slips Baekhyun’s mind that he’s new to all the luxuries that being a Royalty has to offer. 

“We are lucky to have her, it could have been a lot worse. Are you looking forward to the ceremony?” 

“I am, though I do realise that we probably have to get up very early in order to get ready on time.” 

“You thought correctly. In a few days this room will be buzzing with servants making sure we look our best, although no one will pay attention to anyone but the crown princess.” 

“I will pay attention to you.” Baekhyun’s hand in Chanyeol’s hair stills, which the other assumes is a sign of distress. 

Chanyeol lifts his head off Baekhyun’s chest to look him in the eye. “My apologies, is that not something you wanted me to say?” 

“No, it is exactly what I needed to hear.” 

The morning before the ceremony is just as Baekhyun predicted. His chamber is filled with servants. One busies himself with his hair, the other shaves him, and yet another one helps him into his clothes. There are many more with their hands on him, but he can’t keep up with what they are doing. Chanyeol looks out of place as someone tends to his hair, combing it back, away from his eyes. It looks good, pushed off of his forehead, Baekhyun only now realises he’s never actually seen Chanyeol’s eyebrows before, they were always obstructed by the shaggy mop of hair. 

Chanyeol is dashing in his form fitted clothing. The tailor put him in mainly brown and green colours, representing his people. She must have worked through the night, seeing all the details on the tunic. Several small trees are embroidered on the side, subtle yet beautiful. The tunic has been cut at the perfect length, right above the knee, under which he wears tight fitting breeches. 

“You look dapper,” Baekhyun says in a low tone as they walk towards the balcony of the palace, where the crowning ceremony is to be held.

“So do you,” Chanyeol replies, keeping his voice at a level where they are the only ones that can hear. It is the last thing they say to each other before the doors to the balcony are being opened. It has been purposely built underneath an opening in the mountains, so whenever the sun shines it is bright enough for the people to see whatever is happening on the balcony. The sound of the masses cheering at their entrance is immensely loud. Underneath the balcony is a massive square, where Maergs from all over the mountains have gathered to watch the crowning of their new Queen. 

The balcony itself is long and wide, big enough to hold the entire royal family, guards and the elderly advisor that will be doing the crowning. The crown princess is wearing an elegant dress with a high collar. It is decorated with the finest jewels that can be found in the mines, woven into the fabric. Her face shines most of all, she smiles widely as she waves to the people gathered below the balcony. They, of course, cheer and wave back, she has always been one of the most beloved members of the royal family. 

Tears prickle in the corner of Baekhyun’s eyes as the crown is placed on her head, knowing that the dreadful period of war will soon be over. Next to him, Chanyeol has a smile so wide it almost splits his face in half. 

The new Queen walks towards the end of the balcony to address the people, who silence their cheering in order to hear what she has to say. “I have recently received a bird with the news that a human has been spotted in the realm for the first time in centuries. Which is another reminder that things that were previously deemed impossible can be achieved. We have been at war with the Rolfesi for decades, some of us grew up knowing nothing but war. And before the trading treaty, there had been little to no contact. But the years we did, our people flourished like never before. Hence why I know that despite our troublesome history, it is possible to make peace.” The Queen finishes her speech and walks over to Chanyeol, who stares at her wide-eyed. She puts her hand around his arm and does the same to Baekhyun, who has no choice but to follow her to the edge of the balcony.

“These two men have risked their lives to deliver the terms for a renewed peace written by Queen Yhhra herself. They got along well despite their differences, which shows that there are good people on both sides. Thanks to them, I am able to announce that I have accepted the peace terms from Queen Yhhra and hereby reopened peace negotiations. I promise you, the people, that it won’t be long until our Kingdoms are civil with each other once again. No more sending thousands upon thousands people to fight in a war they would rather have no part in. It is over.” 

Baekhyun’s ear still ring after he returns to his chambers, the deafening cheers from the crowd seemed to go on forever. At least he is glad to hear the people cheer for peace instead of them tearing the new Queen to shreds. Though it was to be expected after so much loss from the war. Chanyeol is back in his Rolfesi clothing, finding it to be much more comfortable than what he had to wear for the ceremony. It reminds Baekhyun of the fact that he must return now that his mission is complete. 

“Have you made up your mind about marrying Prince Kalii?” He asks Chanyeol. It is a question he asks merely to show interest, he dislikes the idea of Chanyeol with someone else. 

Chanyeol turns around to smile at him and Baekhyun wishes he believed in Gods so he could pray to them to keep Chanyeol. “I’m going to have to decline Queen Yhhra’s offer to marry her youngest son, because I already have my eyes set on another Prince.” 

Blessed be the Gods to answer his prayers in such a short time. “And who might that Prince be?” 

“His Royal Highness, Baekhyun, son of Beoghir, now tenth in line for the throne in the mountains.” 

Baekhyun jumps into Chanyeol’s arms, planting a sweet kiss on his mouth. He spins them around until they get dizzy, falling on the bed together. “I never expected me falling from the tree whilst spying on your camp would lead to all this, otherwise I would have done it ages ago.” Baekhyun says whilst he looks deep into Chanyeol’s purple eyes. He has grown rather fond of them, kissing each eyelid because he can. 

“Can something between us even work, seeing as you are royalty and our people haven’t seen eye to eye in a long time?” 

“I am sure that if Queen Yhhra can promise her own son to you, I can convince my cousin to approve of us. Besides, I am tenth in line of the throne, not even tenth once my cousins have more children, which they certainly will.” 

“That much is true. And we could be an example of the renewed relations between Rolfesi and Maergs.” 

“Exactly, nothing stands in our way, my dear Chanyeol.” 

“That settles it, we’re going to get married as soon as possible and have seventeen children,” Chanyeol says happily and taps Baekhyun’s nose. 

“Isn’t that a bit too quick? And seventeen children? You must be jesting,” 

“I was not being serious… Or was I?” Chanyeol raises his eyebrows in a playful manner.

“If you are, you can take care of those seventeen children by yourself whilst I do my own thing.” 

“Fair enough, seventeen is somewhat excessive. But what do you think about marriage?” 

He would love to get married, especially because amongst his peers, he is one of the only few that isn’t. Because he is so far removed from the crown, he isn’t subject to a marriage for political reasons, to keep alliances or form new ones. It takes Baekhyun a while to understand what Chanyeol was alluding to with his question. “Are you asking me to marry you?” 

“If I was, what would your answer be?” 

“That it was the most unromantic way of asking imaginable.” 

“I do not hear a no.” 

Not much than a year later, Baekhyun finds himself enjoying the sun heating up his back as he pulls weed from the ground of their small farm. They have fully settled in the cosy cottage on neutral ground, as part of the peace agreement. Both of their Queens agreed to their union, though it was tough to get his cousin to agree to let him move out of the castle. She insisted on having guards moving in the house next to them, he’s still a prince after all. After some consideration he agreed, the guards do not bother him much anyway. 

Their wedding had been a perfect blend of both the Maerg and Rolfes traditions. Close to their house stands a tree with their initials carved in it and both of them wear a golden band forged by Baekhyun himself. He currently doesn’t have it on, it might slip off and get lost in the mud. 

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol waves at him from a distance, with the meat they’re going to eat for supper in tow. He leaves the weed for what it is and speeds over to Chanyeol, greeting him with a firm embrace. 

“Shall we go to the market later, I ripped my breeches during hunting,” Chanyeol shows the rip in the fabric on the inside of his thigh. “These were my favourite, they were so soft,” he pouts. 

“Probably because they were so worn out you actually ripped them. Go change and we will go to the market after.” 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Chanyeol replies and makes an exaggerated bow. Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

On their way to the market, Chanyeol strikes up a conversation in the Maerg tongue. He has been taking up to learning it as of recent. The words still sound strange and clumsy out of his mouth, but he’s making impressive progress. Baekhyun corrects his pronunciation until Chanyeol gets frustrated and switches back to the tongue he is more familiar with. 

Baekhyun brought a basket of excess food from their farm to exchange for gold coins they can use to buy new breeches for Chanyeol. The guards are never far away. He doubts that someone would attack him out of nowhere, there has been overwhelming support for the Crown ever since the Queen announced that there would peace again. The market square close to their farm falls under the neutral ground as well, bustling with Maergs and Rolfesi alike. Shouts from both tongues can be heard around the square. 

At the back of the market there is a stall which instead of selling goods, buys them if the woman deems them worthy. The vegetables from their farm are always top quality, which provides them with a fairly decent amount of coins. The Rolfesi woman sees Baekhyun with his basket accompanied by Chanyeol and greets them in both tongues. The rest of their conversation is in Rolfesi tongue, seeing as she only knows how to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’. Baekhyun appreciates her effort. At first she used to bow to Baekhyun as well, but he insisted that it was not necessary. 

Ever since he left the castle to go and live together with Chanyeol, he rarely feels like a prince anymore. It doesn’t bother him in the slightest, living a simple life, farming and hunting. The luxuries he was used to didn’t do much for him anyway. At first the Queen wanted to give him a small part of the Crown’s treasure, but Baekhyun would have none of that. The coin would be of better use if it were to be invested in the construction of better roads, not for a prince that can take care of himself. 

Baekhyun takes the blanket off the basket and shows the woman the vegetables. She inspects them briefly, handing Baekhyun the coins once she is done. He gives them over to Chanyeol who quickly makes his way over to clothing stall. Most of the breeches they have are far from a perfect fit, but spending most of the day working is not something you need to look good for. Baekhyun’s breeches are a tad too long, but they are comfortable and keep him warm. 

Dusk is starting to settle when they make their way back to their house. Baekhyun snakes his arm around Chanyeol’s as they walk, enjoying the warmth of the other man at his side. Back in their cottage, Baekhyun skins the rabbit Chanyeol brought back while the latter chops the vegetables they didn’t sell. It is not every day they get to eat supper together. Though Baekhyun now no longer lives with the royal family, he still has princely duties to attend to on a regular basis. Which can take up to a few days, in which he misses Chanyeol terribly. Though it’s always pleasant to see his family again. 

With their bellies full, they laze around on the loveseat. Baekhyun is reading a book about the legend of Napeii, amongst all other Gods the Rolfesi worship. His feet are on Chanyeol’s lap, who’s busy scribbling something on paper. After a while the scribbling stops and Chanyeol proudly shows his writing to Baekhyun. It is poem in his own tongue, full of spelling mistakes and incorrect use of words. He finds it nothing short of endearing, kissing Chanyeol on his cheek and hanging the poem on the wall. It could also serve as something to track Chanyeol’s process with. Baekhyun can kind of make out what he is trying to convey, there are words about his beauty and kindness, strung together by wonky sentences. 

“My sweet Chanyeol, thank you for your beautiful poem,” Baekhyun voices once he has returned to the loveseat. Chanyeol beams at the praise, which is what Baekhyun does it for. The first time he found out that his husband was so responsive to it, he did not stop praising him all day. Which ended with some very satisfying love making at the end of the day. That and Chanyeol’s pure reactions to praise are the reasons he keeps finding excuses for it, even if it isn’t about anything impressive at all. 

He snuggles closer to Chanyeol and thinks back on the times spent reading alone, in his chambers inside the castle. Surely, the luxurious furniture had been more comfortable and he didn’t have to light the fire himself. Yes, things used to be easier then, but lying together on the loveseat, him surrounded by Chanyeol’s warmth, he truly feels at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, the story is officially finished. I couldn’t resist adding a bit of fluff at the end because it’s what Chanyeol and Baekhyun deserve after such a journey! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this. Feel free to leave a comment about your favourite bit/character/whatever you liked!


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